Mounted Guardians: Wizards (Hiatus)
by BloodyKitsune1997
Summary: Lyra Silver is a proud member of the Mounted Guardian core. She is betrothed to the youngest fey prince of the southern kingdom. She hadn't known her parents. Somehow, she ended up being the 'Girl-who-lived' and the daughter of the Potter family. Now, she has to deal with death eaters, a murderous wizard, murder attempts, and human hating fey. Good thing she has her fiance and thei
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Hey everyone! I read over the first chapter of the first story Lunarwolf11021 is letting me put my own spin on and have decided to keep it the same. I hope you guys enjoy it and remember that the first chapter and idea came from Lunarwolf11021.**

 **Summary: Lyra Silver is a proud member of the Mounted Guardian core. She is betrothed to the youngest fey prince of the southern kingdom. She hadn't known her parents. Somehow, she ended up being the 'Girl-who-lived' and the daughter of the Potter family. Now, she has to deal with death eaters, a murderous wizard, murder attempts, and human hating fey. Good thing she has her fiance and their unit behind her. Otherwise, she'd probably go insane.**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

The roar of a crowd echoed through the air making Lyra smile as she walked beside Taylin and Cain. Taylin glanced at her, "Ready for this, Alpha?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Lyra glanced at him and Cain, "You two?"

"Hell yeah," Cain flashed her a grin revealing pearly white fangs, "We've been training for this for months!"

"Ausca and I are ready," Taylin replied with a chuckle, "Is Karth?"

"Yeah," Lyra said as they entered the stables and move towards where their rides were waiting, "He could barely fall asleep last night,"

A roar of a bark sounded from nearby and Lyra's smile widened as she caught sight of the source. Three dragon-like creatures stood together with odd saddles settled on their backs. The only thing similar about the three dragons were their four legs and long tails. The first had bright reddish gold scales that were often likened to magma. The second had soft greenish blue scales that reminded those that saw it of the ocean. The last had pale silver lined dark grey scales that reminded those that saw it of a sword. The first dragon had an arrow shaped head, rows of bony spines along it's back, long obsidian colored claws, and a thicker than usual tail. The second had fins on it's head, back, legs, and tail with what looked like small sacks along the front of it's neck. The last had a pale colored frill around it's neck just under it's head and a thin blade-like tail lined with bony spikes. The source of the bark was the first dragon. Cain let out a laugh, "Looks like he can't stop shaking."

Shaking her head, Lyra walked over to Karth and rubbed under the row of spikes beneath his eye. He let out a low groan and nuzzled into her hand earning a grin, "Ready, Buddy?"

Karth barked again earning a snicker from Cain, "He's a fucking puppy."

"At least he's adorable," Lyra snorted at him.

Taylin chuckled as he said, "C'mon, we need to get on. They'll be starting soon."

They each moved over to the stalls where their gear waited for them. Karth stood still while she place his riding gear on him making sure it was ready. The gear was comprised of a few armored bits that were placed in such a way they wouldn't restrict any movement. Each piece of gear created a shield over a specific part of the dragon's body thus making sure the dragon wouldn't be carrying too much. Once that was done, Lyra pulled herself into his saddle and began buckling her legs into their places. Once she had the strap around her waist properly tightened, Lyra checked everything over before grabbing her weapons. A bladed staff with a crystal at the top was placed against her back, two blasters that were settled in their holsters on the saddle, throwing weapons were also placed in some holsters, and a pair of twins swords settled on either side of her. With that done, she had Karth leave his stall and move into place by the gates. Taylin joined her moments later sporting similar weapons though he had chosen a few chain scythe weapons rather than the blasters. Lyra smiled lightly, "This is exciting, are you nervous?"

"Just a bit," Taylin ran a hand through his white hair as his grey dragon shifted beneath him.

"Did you ever hear back from your mother?" Lyra asked the heavily tanned twenty-three year old fey prince.

"Mhmm," Taylin hummed lightly, "My brothers are here as well. It's just a little nerve wracking,"

"Understandable since only your dad really sees the value in what we're doing," Lyra reached up to adjust her braided crimson colored hair, "And it's the first time they'll be seeing you since your dad placed you here seven years ago,"

"Yeah," Taylin's pale indigo eyes were calm despite the nervousness he was undoubtedly feeling, "Do you really want to make the announcement today?"

Lyra offered him a smile and reached out to touch his hand, "We can wait if you don't want to. I'm okay with waiting a little bit longer."

Taylin took her hand and rubbed his thumb against her hand, "I'm just a bit nervous, Lyra. I haven't seen anyone other than mother in years and suddenly, I'm announcing that I'm getting married to a human witch."

Lyra wasn't offended in the least since Taylin was the youngest prince of the southern fey kingdom of Sven. Considering how rocky their interactions with humans much less magicals were, Lyra wouldn't be surprised if some of his family complained about it. Taylin hadn't been very enthusiastic about humans when they first met several years ago, but that had changed once they got closer and she exposed him to what humans were really like. Between Lyra, Cain, and the rest of their companions, Taylin had come to like most humans. It still came as a surprise when Taylin and Lyra fell in love. Lyra smiled warmly at him, "At the very least, we know your mother approves of me."

"Yeah. Let me think about it, I'll have an answer for after the show," Taylin said earning a nod before he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Be careful,"

"You too," Lyra kissed his cheek in return.

Cain appeared on his dragon, "Honestly, do you two have to be sappy?"

Lyra and Taylin rolled their eyes as the stable attendants appeared with their helmets. Lyra pulled on hers after thanking the attendant before reaching up to turn it on. Immediately, the vision of the gates in front of her flicked for a few moments before solidifying once more only with a few bars on either side of her vision. Lyra tapped the comm unit on the left side of her head, "This is Crimson Flare, you guys ready?"

"Sea's Wrath is ready and rearing to go," Cain called out earning a soft laugh.

"Ghostly Blade is ready," Taylin added with a light grin.

"Moon's Blessing is ready," Tsuki laughed out, "'Bout time you three got on,"

"Angelic Silver is ready," Malcom called out, "Cain was probably primping his hair,"

"Oi!" Cain practically shouted earning snickers.

"Darkness Creeps is ready," Evan's voice sounded and everyone fell silent hearing the irritation in his tone, "You idiots should be glad no one's listening in on our comms. Honestly Alpha, as our leader you should try to stop them," Lyra rolled her eyes earning a few snickers, "Now, does everyone have their gear on?"

"Yes," They chorused.

A bell sounded and Lyra called out, "Get ready and be careful! We have an entire stadium watching us!"

A low rumble sounded and Lyra leaned forward feeling Karth shift beneath her. He shifted on his paws and growled lightly as he stared towards the gates. Excitement filled her chest as she watched the gates slowly begin to open. A glance towards Taylin revealed a similar excitement.

* * *

"Are you sure she's here?" Lily asked nervously as she walked beside James towards the stands.

A mixture of creatures surrounded them and it was somewhat disconcerting seeing as human magicals weren't very well liked here. Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes, my dear. The quill told us young Briar would be here and it has never failed to locate anyone."

"Still," Lily moved closer to James.

"It'll be fine, Lils," James soothed her, "We just need to find her, explain what happened, and everything will be alright,"

"I hope you're right," Lily sighed deeply.

Christopher 'Chris' Potter walked with Hermione and Ron behind his parents feeling a little lost. Just recently, he had gone from being the eldest Potter child and the 'Boy-Who-Lived' to the younger brother of a sister he'd never even heard of. To know he had a sister that was two years older than him that he'd never heard about, Chris didn't really know what he was going to do. Not even three weeks ago saw him being used to bring back Voldemort and being told he wasn't the chosen one, Chris was lost. He didn't have a big destiny in front of him anymore. Not only that, the sister he'd never gotten to know was tossed to the side just because of him. It hurt and made him wonder just what else his parents were hiding from him. He worried about his younger siblings who had been left behind at the hotel and hoped that even if his sister wanted nothing to do with the elder Potters, she would want to get to know everyone else.

Soon enough, they were sitting in the stands and Chris was looking at the magical screen, "Why are we here and not looking for Briar? I would love to see one of the Mounted Guardians as much as the next person, but shouldn't finding her be more important?"

"My dear boy, we will find-" Dumbledore began only to be cut off by Lily.

"My daughter is a Mounted Guardian?!" She practically shouted.

Chris stared at the magical screen that had been showing the profiles of the guardians and found someone that could have been his mother only younger with darker red hair. She was standing beside a dragon that looked like fresh magma. She was smiling softly at the camera with pale pink cupid bow lips. She had light forest green eyes with a cat-like pupil. Unlike his fair skinned mother, she was heavily tanned making her skin look almost golden. She was dressed in the standard black tunic, pants, and boots of the Mounted Guardian core. On her chest, the rearing dragon symbol was a bright reddish gold to show what color dragon she had. On her left shoulder, the rearing pegasus with a trio of stars between the wings told of her loyalty to house Wyldfyr which was the current ruling house of the Sven Fey kingdom. Chris heard Hermione whisper, "She's under the Sven royal family."

"The what?" Ron looked at Hermione in confusion.

"The southern fey kingdom is named Sven and is ruled by house Wyldfyr," Dumbledore spoke up from his place in front of them, "Not only that, I believe she is in the same unit as Prince Taylin. The youngest of the Sven Princes'. I do not know what this will mean for us,"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked with a frown, "Aren't we supposed to ask her to come back with us?"

"Yes, but as a Mounted Guardian and under the royal house of Wyldfyr, it is unlikely that she will come with us," Dumbledore frowned slightly, "To get her to come back with us, we will need to ask the royals. Very likely, we will be required to buy the services of her unit,"

"But isn't that expensive?" Hermione asked with worry on her face, "Not to mention, they don't like humans especially from Britain,"

"Leave everything to me, my dear girl," Dumbledore smiled at her as trumpets sounded.

Gates opened and four groups of three dragons raced out. They ran in two lines of six after meeting in the middle of the large arena. The arena itself was much like the Roman Colosseum only larger. They raced around the arena before coming to the stop before the box that the royals sat in. The dragon bowed deeply with their riders doing the same while holding out their left hands. The ring and pinkie finger of each hand was curled inwards with the middle and pointer finger pointed upwards. Supposedly, it was meant as a sign respect to the fey royalty though Chris wasn't too sure. They all bared their necks during the bow to show their submission to their rulers.

Two of the royals stood up and Chris felt his breath still in his chest. The male was dark skinned like most southern fey with a bright lion-like mane of white hair. The female had lighter coffee colored skin and dark brown almost black hair that reminded him of the Patil twins. The male had dark golden eyes lending to his lion like image along with his rather large muscles. The female had pale indigo colored eyes which looked shockingly right on her. The male wore heavy golden chains around his neck and a crown of golden flames on his head. The female wore a few delicate looking chains of silver and a crown of silver fire on her head. Both of the fey had red tattoos on their visible skin that denoted both their royal status and their marriage bond. The male raised his hand which clutched a large staff above his head causing the arena to fall silent. He grinned revealing sharp teeth and shouted, "Welcome, my friends! It has been seven years since the last time our kingdom has welcomed the newest generation of the Mounted Guardians!" Cheers rang out and he laughed tossing his head back to reveal his slightly pointed ears, "Now, I've been told that our two new units have decided to show us some of what they learned. Shall we see what they've got to show us?!" Cheers and shouts sounded loud enough to make the air vibrate slightly, "My dear wife," He turned to the female by his side, "Do you agree?"

"Of course, my dear husband," She smiled prettily and turned to the Mounted Riders, "Do your best, my friends!"

The dragons stood up and their riders sat up while placing their hands over their hearts, "Yes, your Majesty!"

"Go forth and show us!" The king boomed.

The dragons roared as their riders shouted, "Yes, your Majesty."

The dragons broke apart and separated back into groups of three. Two groups heading in one direction and two heading in the other. They stopped at the halfway point and settled in two rows facing one another. The first rows broke off and began racing towards one another. It reminded him of those horse shows his father had taken him to a few years ago after he'd expressed some interest. It was somewhat boring and Chris ended up losing interest until a shout went up.

* * *

Lyra gripped Karth's saddle feeling herself tense as the ground began to rumble. Despite having practiced this maneuver multiple times, it still alarmed her every time they did it. When the ground began rising up in front of them, Lyra squeezed her knees upwards and Karth began to jump up the rock platforms that appeared in front of them. Soon enough, they were high in the sky. Lyra took a deep breath as she raised a hand before sending out a pulse of her magic. Immediately, platforms of ice and wind formed. Nudging Karth's sides, he began to jump onto the platforms as she took out her staff. In mid air, she was met with her current sparing partner, Lucas. Lucas was an owl and eagle shifter which reflected on his bird-like dragon, Skylar. To be quite honest, Skylar looked a lot like a griffon only scaled. It was one of the two winged dragons in two units.

Lucas grinned at her beneath his helmet and spoke over the shared comms, "Been awhile since we sparred, huh?"

"Only because you refuse to spar with me unless it's important," Lyra retorted as she slammed her staff into his, "Too bad too since I almost have enough of your feathers to create a feather duster ala Lucas,"

"Shut it," He growled at her and attempted to slam the butt of his staff into her left side.

While it was true that her left side was weaker both due to not being her dominant and how many times she'd injured that side, he really should remember that she had learned how to compensate for that weakness a long time ago. She twisted to avoid the hit and sent one towards his head. Below them, Lyra could hear the groups fighting as well. They were making everything as showy as possible and would be moving to the magical side of things soon enough. Soon enough, Lyra heard the tell tale sound of Evan using his 'Dark dragon' spell and quickly started using her own fire magic. While the Mounted Guardian core taught them spells for various elements and ensure they could use them, everyone had branches of magic that were their specialties. Lyra's specialties laid with fire, wind, creation, and defense magic. She created her own band of fiery creatures, phoenixes, and sent them towards Lucas with a beaming grin, "Taste fire, Feather Duster!"

He let out a yelp and Skylar darted out of the way. Karth began to circle around the two and darted past them to the jumping point. The next part would be one of the most difficult of the performance they were putting on and the most dangerous. While this part was one of her creations, it was something that always left her leery due to the fact they could fall at any moment. The area after the jumping point was composed of platforms that moved and disappeared every few seconds. It often left the one attempting to cross them fumbling and falling. Despite knowing that there was a invisible net beneath them, Lyra still felt a little bit of fear. Karth rumbled underneath her and Lyra took a deep breath. She trusted her partner to keep them safe. Shifting forward, Lyra put her staff away and tapped Karth's side. He let out a roar and started jumping.

It was when they were reaching the largest jumping platforms that it disappeared underneath them causing Karth to jump a bit too early. Lyra's heart lept in her throat, but forced herself to stay calm as she infused her magic into Karth's body. Immediately, a dark red colored energy began to surround him and Karth's body pulsed as his own innate magic reacted. Fire began to surround his legs and feet propelling them forward, Lyra felt relief surge through her as they landed on the platform they'd been aiming for while releasing their bonded magic. Karth kept darting forward without missing a stride and soon enough they'd reached the platform that would take them down below to switch with the ground fighters.

* * *

By the end of the performance, Chris had gained even more respect for the mounted riders. None of them showed fear at any point during the demonstration. When the giant platform disappeared underneath his sister's dragon, Chris feared she'd fall to the ground. He was slightly confused about the energy that formed around the dragon. Chris heard Hermione saying, "Resonance."

"Reso-what?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Resonance is one of the greatest secrets of the Mounted Guardian core," Hermione explained with a glare directed toward Ron, "No one knows how they do it, but the riders and their dragons are able to match their innate energies together thus causing resonance. No one knows the limits of resonance, but it's one of the strongest magical abilities in the world,"

"It is also one of the rarest," Dumbledore added while keeping an eye on the Mounted Guardian's, "Among humans, you will only find maybe a tenth of the population able to to do it. You will find even less among the magical humans. Of the magical peoples, the fey are the only population with the highest rate which is roughly 75 percent of the population. Of course, you must divide that among the various fey species currently living around the world. Resonance while powerful is rare and takes very special individuals to use it,"

"Man to think your older sister is one of those," Ron whispered in awe.

* * *

Lyra slid off of Karth as soon as they got back into the stables feeling her legs weaken underneath her. She almost fell onto her face, but managed to catch herself with a low sigh. Pressing her head against Karth's side, Lyra took a few deep breaths to calm down and let the adrenaline fade. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and Lyra began leaning against Taylin. He looked down at her in worry, "You okay? You aren't feeling too much pain on your left side, are you?"

"I'm fine," Lyra was thankful that he was there to hold her steady, "I just need a few minutes to calm down a bit. That almost drop really got my heart racing, I know the net was underneath us, but..."

"Understandable, I almost broke away to keep you two from falling," Taylin admitted with a slight smile, "I'm surprised you used your resonance. I thought the healers said to avoid using it,"

"I can use it for a few seconds if I need to," Lyra murmured softly, "I'm probably going to pass out at some point. Shall we get these guys settled and go get cleaned up?"

"Yeah," Taylin stayed where he was, "We have two hours before my family is expect our unit to go meet them,"

Lyra sighed softly, "After we finish meeting with them, I will need to rest as soon as possible," She looked up at him, "Have you made your decision?"

"We will tell them after the whole meet and greet," Taylin smiled softly at her, "I don't think I can take another day sneaking around,"

Lyra let out a laugh and pushed off of him. She wavered for a few moments before turning to get Karth degeared, "Go get Ausca degeared before she throws a fit."

Taylin kissed her cheek before going to take care of his dragon. Unlike Karth, Ausca hated being geared up if there wasn't a reason to be. To be quite honest, Lyra was heavily reminded of Taylin when it came to his dragon. While they all shared characteristic with their dragons, some of them shared more than a few. Taylin loathed having to deal with being dressed up without a reason. Lyra and Karth shared of love of physical activity leaving them able to run together for hours on end. Cain and his dragon, West, were very conscious about their appearances which often caused them to be the butt of many jokes among their unit. Lyra carefully removed each piece and was glad to get rid of her weapons. Karth nuzzled her with a low groan and Lyra smiled softly. She rubbed just under the sharp bone-like ridge at the edge of his jaw as she heard Cain shout, "I'm getting them off, you damn ingrate!"

Snickering softly, Lyra told her partner, "I'll come by in the morning as soon as I can to go for a run through the city. You up for that?" Karth let out a grumble of agreement, "Rest and try not to drive West or Ausca insane, okay?" He barked and wagged his tail, "Love you too."

Lyra pressed a kiss to the warm scales on his forehead before turning to leave.

* * *

Lyra walked beside Taylin towards the small meeting room where there unit would be gathering until it was time to meet the royals. Lyra looked down when she felt Taylin hold her hand and looked up at him. He lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better after that shower and applying more of that gel the healers gave me," Lyra's muscles were a lot looser and she didn't feel any pain at the moment, "According to Kel, my scars have been lightening and the tissue isn't so thick,"

"Good," Taylin looked happy to hear that, "I was worried it would limit your movement. Does it ache now?"

"No, the gel soothed the pain," Lyra smiled as she heard the tell tale sound of Tsuki arguing with Cain, "Ah, I see that our pack has already settled themselves in,"

It was a running joke among the Mounted Guardian core that their unit was a pack of wolves. Lyra was the alpha female and Taylin her alpha male. The others tended to switch positions, but Evan was definitely the beta male among their pack. Taylin chuckled softly as they reached the door, "Let's hope they remember to act correctly in front of my family."

Lyra opened the door just as Tsuki shouted, "Go to fucking hell, ya Count Dracula reject!"

Lyra gave Taylin a look and he shook his head with a small smile. Lyra stepped inside to find Cain holding Tsuki in a headlock. The purple haired vampire was holding the tawny haired wolf-shifter. Malcom, the golden blonde haired fey, watched the chaos with a slight grin as his matching wings twitched with anticipation. Evan, the brooding ebony haired were-panther, was tied up in the corner by a whip. Rolling her eyes, Lyra spoke, "I do hope you realize that half the arena can hear your arguing."

Both of the arguing duo froze and looked at her with wide eyes, Malcom let out a nervous laugh and Evan looked pleased. Taylin shook his head, "Cain, let go of Tsuki. Tsuki, please fix your appearance. Malcom, get that whip off of Evan. Evan, I hope you weren't detained for long."

Soon, everyone was sitting in the offered chairs with Taylin and Lyra taking the couch. Looking everyone over, Lyra asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"I need to visit the blacksmith," Tsuki said with a groan as her soft brown eyes closed in frustration, "My fucking staff cracked during that last clash,"

"I need to get my helmet checked," Malcom added with a roll of his light green eyes, "Halfway through, I lost comm connection,"

"I managed to make it out with everything intact," Evan muttered with a pleased look in his dark gold flecked grey eyes.

Cain was frowning causing his pale pink eyes to darken a little, "I need to have West's saddle checked. My leg straps were a bit loose and part of the saddle felt like it was going to give halfway through the performance."

Taylin looked a little troubled, "See that you do, I want all of you to get every piece of your gear checked out regardless of if it's good or not. Other than that, how are you and your dragons?"

Everyone reported that their dragons were in good condition save for Evan's Shadow. Shadow would need to go to the Mounted Guardian's healing hall due to the cracks in his paw pads and a few worryingly cracked scales. Everyone turned to Lyra earning an eye roll, "I'm fine though I over did it a tiny bit, so I'll be retiring early. I will be using our day off tomorrow to visit the healers hall to get my arm checked out," Lyra leaned against Taylin a little, "Karth is fine and today has proven that his prostheses are working properly. As it stands, today has proven that both of us can still do our work for the core without any problems."

"That's a relief," Tsuki admitted with a grin, "I was worried I'd be stuck with just these boys as company,"

Letting out a laugh, Lyra relaxed fully against Taylin as her pack fell into easy conversation.

* * *

King Vallian smiled at Taylin as Queen Saya hugged her youngest son close. Lyra watched with a small smile though she eyed the gathered Princes' a bit warily. The crown prince, Ryder, took greatly after the King though he shared his mother's hair color. The second eldest prince, Besk, looked more like the queen than any of his brothers though he took after both his parents when it came to hair color. The third eldest prince, Luca, shared his looks with his mother, but shared everything else with his father. Deko, the fourth eldest, looked a lot like Taylin only shorter by a head. Vulcan, the fifth eldest, was tall and heavily muscled baring his father's looks. Milour, the sixth eldest and the closet to Taylin's age, looked like a perfect mix between his parents. The sole princess, Vulcan's twin, Diana, was a taller version of her mother with her father's eyes. From what Taylin said, Diana was a vain and spoiled due to being the only girl in the family. Based on Taylin's expression when they entered the room, he hadn't been told his sister would be gracing them with her presence. Finally, Saya let go of her youngest son with a warm smile and said, "Introduce us to your unit, my son."

"Yes, Mother," Taylin pressed his forehead to hers for a brief moment before returning to them, "From down the line, Evan Dickons the werepanther and shadow mage of our group,"

Evan bowed to the royals, "My king, my queen, my prince's, and my princess, I bid you welcome."

"Beside Evan is our wolf-shifter and tracker, Tsuki Lane," Taylin continued on.

Tsuki bowed as well, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Beside Tsuki is our resident mountain fey and scout, Malcom Ataris," Taylin continued earning raised eyebrow from his siblings.

It was a well known fact that mountain fey do not often have a bond with dragons. Malcom smiled at them, "A pleasure to meet you, my royals. I hope your trip here wasn't problematic."

"Beside Malcom is our day-walker and spirit speaker, Cain Dune," Taylin continued with a light smile.

Cain took a step forward and bowed at his waist, "My lords and ladies, I bid you welcome and profess my gratitude for allowing me this opportunity."

Taylin took a deep breath as he turned to Lyra, "And beside me, we have Lyra Silver. She is the leader of our group and our fire/creation expert."

"A human?!" Diana burst out moments later, "What the hell is a human doing leading your unit?" She turned to the King, "Daddy, Taylin should lead them. If he is too weak to, the mountain fey or shifter would be better. Hell the were or the vampire would be better than a damn human,"

"That 'damn' human," Malcom hissed only to be silenced by a hand on his arm.

Malcom looked down and found Lyra smiling at him. He relaxed and she turned to the King, "My king, if I may speak freely to the Princess?"

King Vallian looked at her for a few moments before inclining his head. More than likely, he was using this moment to properly gauge if the reports and rumors about Lyra were truthful. Lyra turned to the Princess and smiled lightly, "Princess Diana, I understand that your people have suffered many wrongs due to the actions of both humans and their magical brethren. I also understand that outside of moments like that, you have not encountered any humans."

"Your point?" She sneered at Lyra.

Lyra kept smiling despite wanting to shove her favorite short sword up the princess' ass to wipe that ugly sneer off of her face, "You are blind to the good humans. Just as there are bad fey, you will find there are bad humans. To put it honestly, I can see why you were not accepted as a rider by any dragon," Diana bristled as did her brothers save for Taylin, "You are too sheltered to see that nothing in this world is truly black or white. I have heard stories both from Taylin and from many others about you. What I've heard and meeting you in person, I can say that if it weren't for your position as a member of the Royal family, I would not offer you any respect. I do not see you as someone worth serving," Lyra took a deep breath, "Until you're no longer blind, I do not see any reason to take your words as anything other than hot air and wasted breath," Lyra turned towards the king and queen, "I apologize if my words were out of turn despite being allowed to speak freely, but I will not apologize for saying them. If she is blinded by hate without true reason, I fear for the kingdom if it is left within her hands."

Lyra bowed deeply as an enraged howl echoed through the air. Lyra held still and kept from flinching as Diana reared back to slap her. She heard a low snarl and glanced up to find Taylin holding his sister's wrist with look of rage on his face. Diana let out a cry of pain which told Lyra just how hard Taylin was gripping his sister's wrist. Taylin hissed out, "You dare attempt to strike my betrothed?"

"W-what?!" Was exclaimed by the Prince's and even the King.

"You are lucky that you're my sister," Taylin growled at her, "Otherwise, I would behead you,"

Lyra quickly reached out to place a calming hand on his shoulder, "Tay, let go," He tightened his grip, "Tay, I know she was intending to strike me, but she didn't know. Let her go, Taylin. Do you really want to possibly mutilate your own sister?"

Taylin took a deep breath and let go of his sister before turning to Lyra. He pulled her into a hug and burrowed his face into her neck. Lyra hugged him and held still as he took a few calming breaths. When he was able to calm down, Taylin turned to his surprised family and said, "I would also like to inform you that I am betrothed to Lyra."

The room was silent for a few moments before Saya shouted, "Finally! I've been waiting for you to make that announcement for months!" She walked over to Lyra and pulled the red head into a hug, "I am glad my son has finally come to his senses."

"Lady Saya," Lyra smiled weakly.

Malcom suddenly burst out laughing causing everyone to turn to him. Malcom pointed at Taylin with a grin, "Damn, Tay! That was almost as bad as when you proposed to our Alpha."

Taylin flushed and Lyra giggled softly. King Vallian cleared his throat, "My son," Taylin stiffened and turned to his father, "Is it true that you've chosen to wed a human?"

Taylin stood at his full height which was shorter than his father by head, but taller than his mother by a few inches, "Yes father. Say what you will, but I will accept no one other than Lyra."

"What has she done to make you fall in love with her?" Ryder asked with a frown.

Taylin smiled slightly, "She was the first one brave enough to treat me like a regular person. She helped teach me that not all humans were bad," He looked at Lyra, "Even when I had been a complete and utter bastard to her, Lyra still put her life on the line when I was in trouble. It's thanks to her that I was not mutilated," He looked somewhat sad and guilty, "Most recently, she and her partner took a crippling blow that would've killed Ausca and I."

"Taylin, stop looking guilty," Lyra scolded him, "It was my choice. A few scars is nothing when it comes to your life. I'd rather be partially crippled than lose you and Ausca,"

Lyra winced when a hand slammed down on her left shoulder sending shocks of pain up and down her side. It was only the training she'd received and the fact she'd been in worse pain that she was able to keep a straight face. She looked at King Vallian with a light smile. He looked into her eyes and she felt his mental prod. Willingly, she brought down her barriers and let him see what he needed. When he pulled back, she returned her barriers to their full strength. He looked at her with respect, "Thank you for saving my son and his partner, Lyra Silver. While I am not pleased that my son has decided to bind himself to a human, I can understand why. You truly are a credit to your species," He looked at Taylin, "I give you my permission to wed though I doubt not giving it to you would stop it."

Taylin grinned at his father in relief, "Thank you, Father."

"Father?!" Diana shouted with disgust, "You're letting him wed a dirty human?"

"A human that not only save him, but a number of others over the course of her years among us," King Vallian let go of Lyra's shoulder to turn to his daughter with displeasure written across his face, "If there is anyone worthy of my youngest son, it is her. Child, if you continue to argue, you will face consequences,"

Diana and her brother's looked shocked by his words. Taylin lost his shock after a few moments and smiled, "Father," King Vallian looked at Taylin, "If there is nothing else, may my unit and I leave. The events of today have left us fairly exhausted."

"Of course," King Vallian inclined his head, "Son, I hope you and your betrothed would be willing to join us tonight for dinner,"

Taylin looked at Lyra and she thought about it before nodding. Taylin turned to his father, "We would be happy to though I hope you will be fine with us retiring early."

"Of course," King Vallian dismissed them.

They quickly filed out and broke off. Taylin walked with Lyra to her room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Lyra was stripping off her jacket and over shirt after kicking off her boots. She waited patiently for her servant, Kel, to help remove her undershirt before going to sit down on her couch. As the leader of her unit, Lyra was given large quarters. It was just a pair of rooms. A bedroom and a living-room/study area. Letting her head fall against the couch, Lyra spoke softly, "Your father has a tight grip."

"Is your shoulder okay?" Taylin asked as he walked over.

Kel came out of Lyra's bedroom carrying a set of jars and new bandages, "Mistress, will you need me anymore tonight?"

"Please come back in an hour to help me get ready to meet the royal family for dinner," Lyra told her earning a wide eyed look from the small raccoon shifter before she turned to Taylin, "Which of my clothes would be best?"

"The one you got with Tsuki last week," Taylin answered after a moment of silence, "The black one from Greece. The emerald choker I got you will be fine. As for hair, a few of your more intricate braids would suffice though I will admit that I'm eager to see how you look with those obsidian beads I got you,"

Kel hummed softly and set down the tray she was carrying, "I think I can get everything done by the time you need to leave. I'll go set everything out."

The dark grey haired shifter disappeared into the bedroom for a few moments before leaving with a bow. Lyra relaxed as Taylin opened the jars and took off the bandages on her left arm. She carefully removed the bandages around her side as well. Taylin began rubbing the cool gel into her injured side. He spoke softly after a few moments, "You didn't answer my question."

Lyra's eyes slid closed as Taylin allowed some of his healing magic to seep into her skin and boost the power of the gel, "It hurt when your father touched it and there was a lingering ache. It's better now though."

"Good," Taylin worked quickly and soon enough bandaged everything up, "There,"

"Thank you," Lyra opened her eyes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Taylin kissed her back before saying, "It's my job as the healer of the unit and your betrothed to do things like this."

* * *

Chris looked at Dumbledore with a scowl as the old man walked back into the small waiting room they'd been placed in. They had been waiting for what felt like hours since they'd been put in here and Dumbledore left. James stood up and demanded, "Well?"

"We will be meeting with the King and Queen tomorrow morning after lunch," Dumbledore informed them.

"What?!" Ron burst out, "Why the hell can't we meet them today?"

"They are having a dinner with their youngest son and his betrothed," Dumbledore answered looking at Ron, "As it stands, we cannot force a meeting given the Sven kingdoms dislike of humans especially because we're English. We're lucky that we even get a chance to meet with them,"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Chris calmed him down with a hand on his shoulder. Chris spoke as they stood up, "Who all is meeting them tomorrow?"

"James, Lily, Severus, Tonks, and Kingsley will be joining me," Dumbledore answered making Chris want to scream.

Chris forced himself to calm down, "Why am I not coming?"

"I do not believe they will take us seriously if children come along," Dumbledore replied making Chris' scowl deepen and his cheeks redden, "Now, I believe it's time we leave and head back to the hotel to inform the others about what we've found out,"

Chris' need to scream increased, but he held his tongue. By the way Dumbledore was speaking, he thought Chris and his friends hadn't gone through enough. He wasn't going to prove Dumbledore right by acting like an insolent brat as he had before. Chris would admit that he'd acted like a spoiled brat far too many times in the past. He had only really stopped acting like a spoiled brat during the tournament. Forcing himself to take a few calming breaths, Chris stayed quiet as he walked beside his family through the halls out of the palace-like complex that housed the Mounted Guardian core of Sven's secondary base. The main one was somewhere near the capital which wasn't known to anyone outside of the royal families allies and the Sven people. They were walking near one of the gardens when they heard a soft laugh and a voice say, "Honestly, Tay. If I knew you liked this dress so much, I would've picked something else."

Something about that voice sounded familiar and Chris turned his head. He moved towards the railing and looked down onto the first floor. There in a stunning black dress that looked a lot like the chiton his little sister had worn to the last Ministry function his family had gone to was his elder sister. The only difference between the dress his sister had worn and the one she had worn was that she had sleeves. She wore an emerald green choker around her neck and her hair braided in a mixture of intricate braids that he seen some of the shifter women wear. He could see little things woven into the braids, but wasn't close enough to see what they were exactly. Standing beside her was one of the fey princes, Chris stared at the scene in shock at the fey smiled down at her and said, "I can't help it. You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress. It's hard to contain myself."

"Well, you're going to have to," His sister shook her head lightly, "I don't want to give your siblings or father anymore reason to not like me,"

Prince Taylin leaned down and kissed her lightly, "Even if they don't like you, I'm too happy to care. Besides, Father already gave his permission for us to wed."

Chris couldn't believe his ears. If what he was seeing and hearing was true, Briar was going to be marrying the youngest fey prince of a kingdom that hated humans. Briar smiled softly, "I know, but regardless, we should get going. I want to eat something and spend some time getting to know your family while I can."

"Fine," Prince Taylin held out his arm and Briar put her hand on it, "The minute you start feeling light headed or tired, you tell me, okay?" He asked earning a nod, "We'll leave,"

"I promise that if I'm feeling off, I'll tell you," Briar promised earning a smile.

"Good," Prince Taylin and his sister set off.

Chris heard a gasp and turned to find his parents gaping at his sister's back. Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Let us get back to our hotel."

Due to his parents being in a numb state of shock, they didn't say anything at all on the way to the hotel. The first thing out of his mother's mouth when they reached their hotel room was, "My daughter is engaged to a fey prince."

After that, it was like all hell broke loose. His younger siblings were confused and the adults were in a state of alarm. The teenagers were herded into one of the bedrooms along with the younger kids. Immediatly, he and his friends were being questioned. He was in a state of numb shock and couldn't say anything.

* * *

Lyra took a sip of the spiced wine as Queen Saya asked, "So, Lyra, what do you do outside of leading your unit?"

"I love to read though my favorite things to read about are diffrent styles of magic and history," Lyra replied as everyone's eyes focused on her, "My favorite thing to do is to perform in the various local theaters and watch the various plays they put on. I also enjoy going to the orphanages and spending time among the children with Karth. My whole unit comes along,"

"It's a lot of fun," Taylin confirmed with a chuckle, "The children really enjoy the visits and I think we've found a few of them that will probably bond with a dragon at some point,"

"Truly?" King Vallian asked earning a nod, "Who's idea was it?"

Lyra flushed lightly, "I did, my King. I've never known my birth parents, so I know a bit of what they're going through. A visit from adults other than those that take care of them and come to adopt them would do them good. Adding on, my mentor and her dragon used to visit the orphanages whenever they could. I joined them whenever I could and went even after my mentors death as the children enjoyed it. When I got into my unit, they noticed me leaving on my days off and came along. Eventually, they started going by themselves and we eventually decided to go together on our days off when we had time."

King Vallian's head tilted slightly before he smiled, "Well, it's a very good idea. When will the first batch of these orphans be ready to try their hand at bonding? Depending on if a few of them bond, I might have the other units of the core go to the various orphanages on those visits."

"It would give the core more good publicity and get our people to see us in an even better light," Ryder admitted while offering Lyra a look of grudging respect.

"So you're an orphan?" Diana asked with a sneer.

Lyra nodded lightly, "As far as I know, but my mentor was enough of a parent to me."

"Who was your mentor?" Luca asked her curiously.

"Eliza Silver," Lyra answered, "She gave me my name,"

"So you're Eliza's student," King Vallian murmured making Lyra look at him, "She was the commander of the 13th squad. One of the fey half-fey,"

"Wait, you mean she's the student of the thirteenth divisions Crocodile?!" Vulcan gasped out in shock before looking at Lyra with respect, "Holy fuck, you couldn't have had an easy time growing up. The crocodile was an intense bi-Ow!"

Vulcan cried out due to his mother gripping his ear. Queen Saya said, "Do not speak ill of the dead, Vulcan. It does not do anyone any good," Queen Saya smiled warmly at Lyra, "I apologize for my son's words."

Lyra waved her words off, "It's fine, My Queen. I've heard worse about my mentor and most people are right."

* * *

It wasn't long after they were served dessert that Lyra began to feel a little weary and light headed. She alerted Taylin and he got them excused with Queen Saya informing Lyra that they would be meeting up soon enough to plan the wedding. Taylin and she returned to her rooms. She attempted to undress herself, but found her left arm too stiff. As a result, Taylin helped her get undressed and into some night clothes. Lyra managed to unbraid her hair and take out her hair accessories. Taylin took off the choker for her and brushed her hair out. They got ready for bed before laying down together. Lyra sighed deeply, "Thank the gods above today is over."

"Agreed," Taylin chuckled softly as he hugged her to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: First chapter that's all my own idea.**

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Lyra woke up and was out of her bed along with Taylin moments after a knock sounded on the door. Lyra quickly pushed open the not quite shut door to her bedroom and rushed towards the entrance to her rooms. Taylin followed while grabbing their weapons, "What time is it?"

"I have no clue," Lyra grabbed the door handle and pulled it open revealing a teenage fey that looked only a few years younger than her, "Yes?"

The teenager was wearing the pristine sky blue doublet bearing the crest of the Wyldfyr clan. He bowed lightly, "Sergeant Silver and Corporal Wyldfyr, I apologize for interrupting your day off, but I have a message for you."

"It's alright, but do you happen to have the time?" Lyra asked earning a surprised look from the young fey, "We have just woken as we usually sleep in on days such as today,"

"Of course," The fey straightened and pulled out a silver pocket watch, "It is half-past seven o'clock,"

Lyra nodded with a slight smile, "Thank you and what is the message?"

The messenger pulled out a scroll and opened it, "To Sergeant Silver and Corporal Wyldfyr, the king and queen requests that you join them for breakfast this morning at half-past eight. The king also wishes to inform you that your presence is required for a meeting this afternoon after lunch. Further information will be given at lunch."

"I see," Lyra glanced at Taylin before saying, "Thank you for bring us that message and if it isn't too much trouble, please inform them that we will be there,"

"It is no trouble," The messenger bowed lightly.

Lyra reached over to the pouch she kept for such occasions and pulled a silver coin loose, "A silver pegasus for your troubles."

She handed the coin to the messenger earning a slight grin before he bowed again, "Thank you and may the gods bless you."

"May the gods bless you," Taylin and Lyra parroted.

The messenger headed off and Lyra closed the door behind her with a low sigh. Running a hand through her hair, she said, "Ya know, I kind of expected this to happen, but waking up so early on our first day off in weeks..."

Taylin chuckled softly, "I agreed, but it's best that we get up now. We still need to look over what we'll be bringing with us to the orphanage and see what we need to buy aside from those pastries."

"Right," Lyra yawned softly, "Can you make us some coffee while I go dunk my head in the cold bath?"

Taylin nodded as Lyra headed towards her bathroom, "No problem. Are we still taking Karth and Ausca for a run?"

"If we time it correctly, we can go after breakfast with your parents though we'll have to give Evan money to buy the pastries and anything we're missing," Lyra ducked into her bathroom and headed into the bath area that sat behind a screen.

Due to the fact this was a training facility, the only people to get any modern convenience beside a toilet and working sink were the staff members. The only way to get hot water was the bath house and shower facilities off of the arena. She didn't mind it though being able to take a warm bath without having to share it with any of the other female trainees would be nice. She walked over to the pool of ice cold water that sat on the other side of the bathroom from the toilet. Carefully settling on the edge, she held her breath and dunked her head into the water. Pulling back, she shook her head like a dog and got back up shivering slightly from the coldness of the water. Grabbing one of the four fluffy towels she kept in her bathroom, she began drying her hair off with one hand while walking out of the bathroom. She sat down on the couch just as Taylin brought their coffee to the table. He smiled lightly, "Feeling awake now?"

"Just a bit," Lyra let go of the towel to grab her flame printed mug, "So let's get that list written and figure out how much we have to give Evan,"

* * *

Chris ran a hand through his shaggy hair as he walked into the living room of their hotel room. Hermione was looking through a book that had the rearing dragon of the Mounted Guardians printed on it. He walked over to her, "What's with the book?"

"I wanted to look into the Mounted Guardians more thoroughly," Hermione explained looking up from her book, "After seeing that your sister was one, I got curious and wanted to look into them,"

"What's a Mounted Guardian?" Warren, his eleven year old brother, asked curiously as he walked out of the room they were currently sharing.

"You mean that you don't know?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Mom and Dad never told us anything about them save for the fact they live in the fey realms," Lilac, his nine almost ten year old little sister, told them.

Hermione looked at him and Chris explained, "Mom thinks they were too young to learn about them while Dad doesn't really like the fey, ya know."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned to his younger siblings, "Do you want me to tell you?"

"Yes please," The two settled down near Hermione.

Hermione cleared her throat while turning back to the first page, "The Mounted Guardians are those special few that have a unique bond with special dragons. They are the elite guardians of the country of Delllea which is currently divided into five kingdoms ruled by the fey. We're currently in the kingdom of Sven which is the southern most fey kingdom and ruled by the Wyldfyr family. Only a tenth of every species in the world save for the fey have the ability to bond with the dragons that the Mounted Riders are partnered with. Of the species, the fey have the highest percentage of those that can possibly bond with the dragons at 75 percent of them though it's divided among the various fey clans."

"What's so special about the dragons? Aren't they dumb like every other kind of dragon?" Warren asked with a confused look on his face.

"No, they're apparently as intelligent as a human just without the ability to speak," Hermione said looking through the book, "As for what's so special about them, they are able to use their innate energy in ways that other dragons cannot. Other than their increased intelligence, they are stronger, faster, and have their own special abilities. No dragon will have the same ability though those of the same specific elemental family and bloodline will have similar ones. They can come in all shapes and sizes. Among them, dragons with wings are uncommon due to the fact they don't often bond with anyone. The dragons the Mounted Guardians use are referred to as the Vesca though the various elementals have their own names,"

"What kind of dragon is big sister bound to, Chris?" Lilac asked him curiously.

Chris frowned slightly, "We didn't get close enough to see them. I do know it has to be a reddish gold color because of the crest on her tunic."

"Do you think she'll come live with us once Mom and Dad explain everything?" Lilac's eyes were wide, "And do you think she'll bring her dragon with her? I really want to meet it,"

"It isn't a pet, Lilac," Chris told his younger sister earning a frown, "And no, she won't be coming to live with us. After all, she is supposedly betrothed to the youngest fey prince not to mention she's a Mounted Guardian. I don't think she'll give up everything she's worked for just for us. After all, we are strangers to her,"

Lilac's eyes filled with tears and Chris pulled her into a hug. Just like his younger siblings, he wanted to meet his big sister and become a family.

* * *

At ten minutes before it was time to meet with the king and queen, a knock sounded on the door. Taylin answered it as Lyra finished filling the money pouch they were giving Evan, "Yes."

"Prince Taylin," Lyra looked towards the door where a servant was standing, "I have come to show you to where the king and queen are waiting for you,"

"One moment," Taylin walked over to her and held out a hand.

Lyra took it and let him help her up. Taylin grabbed the money bag and list as she asked, "Do you think that's enough?"

"If it isn't, Evan knows we'll reimburse him for anything on the list he has to pay for," Taylin said as they headed towards the door.

The servant backed up while eyeing Lyra in surprise and suspicion. She ignored it with ease as she said, "It'll be nice to see everyone. I definitely can't wait to see the look on Carter's face when he sees what the gift I got for him on that last trip to Vulmer's Hammer."

Taylin chuckled as they exited her room and headed across the hall to where he shared a room with the other members of their unit. Knocking on the door, they barely had to wait five seconds before it was wrenched open. Cain looked pissed for a few moments before his face relaxed, "Oh, it's you two."

"Were you expecting someone else?" Lyra asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cain flushed lightly and glared at her before looking at Taylin, "What's going on?"

"Where's Evan?" Taylin asked with a slight chuckle.

"H-" Cain was pushed out of the way.

"Yes?" The werepanther looked fairly relaxed.

Taylin held out the list and money pouch, "Lyra and I won't have time to go shopping for our part of the stuff we're bringing to the orphanage. We wrote down a list and put what should be enough money for everything in the pouch. Would you please get everything for us?"

"Of course," Evan took the objects Taylin was holding, "If there isn't enough, I'll pay for it. Just make sure you pay me back ever last Claw, Feather, and Pegasus."

"We will, I promise," Lyra told him earning a slight smile.

"Where are you two going dressed like that?" Cain asked them.

Lyra was wearing another dress only this time it was a light lavender maxi dress with sleeves. She wore a pair of similarly colored flats. The only accessories she wore were a pair of silver studs, a silver bracelet with her name on it that her mentor had given her a few months after taking her from the orphanage, and a silver ring with phoenixes and flames etched into the metal. Taylin was wearing a nice looking white tunic, black pants, and black boots. On his shoulder, he carried his clan's symbol in sky blue. On his ring finger, he wore a silver ring with his clan's symbol etched into the metal with the number eight beside it telling the world that he was the eighth prince of the Wyldfyr family. Taylin took Lyra's arm, "My parents have requested that we have breakfast with them. Lyra and I will be leaving the orphanage a little bit after lunch for a meeting, but we should be back an hour after we leave. We'll send a message if we can't come back."

"Right, we'll let the others know," Evan promised while glancing towards where the servant was waiting for them, "You should get going,"

"Thanks again, Evan," Lyra told the werepanther earning a nod.

* * *

The king and queen were dressed in a far more relaxed fashion then they had been the night before. It was still easy to see tell that they weren't your average Sven fey, but not so much that you'd guess they were more than a pair of laid back nobles. Lyra and Taylin bowed to them after entering the room as was protocol that even on their days off they had to follow. King Vallian smiled warmly at the pair, "Please rise and join us at the table, I must apologize for the surprise request, but interesting news has surfaced."

"It is quite fine, Sire," Lyra told him as they both stood and walked towards the table.

The table was filled with foods and drinks that neither of them had eaten since joining the Mounted Guardians. Lyra had never eaten some of those things even before then. Taylin greeted his mother with a hug which Queen Saya returned quickly, "How are you, my son?"

"It's been fairly rough in the last couple of weeks what with our training coming to an end," Taylin replied as Queen Saya pulled Lyra into a hug.

Lyra wasn't even surprised by how the female fey ensured that she didn't squeeze the human's left side. Considering how many spies the Queen had among the various healers within the kingdom and even beyond, she had little doubt that the female fey knew of her injury. King Vallian inclined his head, "The last few weeks are some of the most difficult for the trainees, but it is so worth it. I trust that the injuries to your dragon and yourself didn't pose too much of a problem, Miss Silver."

"Portions of it were difficult especially since the healers wish for me to avoid using resonance until my injuries healed, but we managed especially since Taylin has been keeping a careful eye on us," Lyra offered her fey prince a smirk as Taylin flushed a little earning a laugh from Queen Saya, "I am not sure how we did other than the fact we all passed,"

"That you did," King Vallian inclined his head as they took their seats, "Even with your injuries and how much conflict your squad has had due to it's fairly mixed species', you all managed to earn fairly high scores. As it currently stands, you all will be staying as a squad both to see how you progress as full blown Mounted Guardians, but also to see just how such a mixed group can work together,"

Lyra felt relief rush through her mixed with happiness. They had all feared that their group would be separated especially Malcom and Taylin. It was no secret that the aerial corps. and the scouts had been looking at Malcom fairly closely. The healers and the scholars wanted Taylin. Knowing that they wouldn't be separated was a relief, they'd become a family after the seven exciting years they'd been in a squad together. Lyra grinned brightly, "Thank you, Sire. We feared that we would be separated upon graduating. To know that our pack isn't going to be torn apart, I cannot express my relief or happiness with words."

"So it's true that your squad is the wolf pack among the trainees," King Vallian asked making Lyra flush as she realized what had slipped past her lips, "Am I correct in guessing you're their alpha?"

"I'm Alpha female whereas Taylin is our Alpha male. Evan, our werepanther, is our Beta while the others tend to shift between the other positions in our pack," Lyra explained earning a small smile from the King, "Of course, Tsuki didn't make it easy on me until after the incident which caused my injuries,"

King Vallian frowned deeply, "I must thank you again for saving my youngest son though it is disturbing to know that the creature you encountered was even in our lands."

"Father," Taylin's voice was soft, "Did they ever discover what exactly it was?"

"No, but Research is looking into it," King Vallian promised before shaking his head, "Come let us eat, I am sure you haven't had a meal like this since either of you joined the Mounted Guardians. Are they still keeping the trainees on that strict diet?"

"Yes, but they've made it tastier in the last few years," Lyra said while attempting to force back her snickers.

Taylin made no such attempt as he chuckled, "Especially after those new batches of trainees kept getting sick because they wouldn't eat."

They all shared a laugh and shook their heads at the idiocy of the newer trainees. There were always arrogant idiots that thought just because they were bonded with a dragon that training wasn't going to be hard or that they wouldn't get everything they wanted handed to them on a silver platter. Taylin hadn't been one of them though Lyra was sure it was due to his mother's influence more than anything else. Queen Saya spoke after they had all eaten a bit more, "So tell me, what do you have planned for the wedding so far?"

"Well, we haven't really gone over too many details yet due to the fact we were sure how father would react," Taylin admitted before looking towards Lyra, "But we do know that we want an early spring wedding. Preferably when winter is just starting to give way to spring,"

"I assume there is special symbolism attached to that time of year?" King Vallian asked earning a nod from the two.

"It was just as spring was about to began that Taylin finally accepted me as a friend four years ago and began courting me two years ago," Lyra answered while reaching out to Taylin.

He took her hand and squeezed it lightly before lifting it up to press a kiss to the knuckles, "It was also three months ago that I proposed to Lyra and she accepted."

Queen Saya held out her hand and Lyra placed her right hand on it. The Queen ran her finger over the silver ring, "Absolutely breathtaking, I can feel both your magics within it. I assume you normally wear it on a necklace?"

"Yes, My Lady," Lyra answered with a slightly smile, "I like keeping it close as I consider it my good luck charm,"

"Good," Queen Saya released Lyra's hand before asking, "And the ceremony?"

"After much talk, we decided to do not only a fey ceremony, but also a more personal shifter one," Taylin answered as Lyra drank some juice, "The fey ceremony is for the public as we're aware that many will not tolerate Lyra becoming my wife. By doing two, we can use the first to pacify and ensure it is a well-known fact we're married. The second can be more personal not to mention allow our whole squad to assist us in our binding. Not to mention, we would prefer privacy,"

"Well, I cannot say that I like the idea of you doing two ceremonies, but I understand why," King Vallian said earning a slight grin from Taylin and a grateful smile from Lyra, "I only ask that we be allowed to attend both,"

"Of course, we were always planning on asking you to attend, Father," Taylin told him, "I just don't want my siblings there. Diana would no doubt ruin it and the others do not approve,"

"I will ensure they understand they're not welcome at the second ceremony and will be keeping an eye on Diana to ensure she doesn't mess up either one," Queen Saya promised.

The rest of breakfast continued in a similar fashion until the end. Lyra thanked the King and Queen for the meal before asking, "What exactly is the meeting you wish for us to attend?"

"As you are no doubt aware of the situation in England," Taylin and Lyra shared a grimace at that as the English magical enclave was seen as nothing more than a cesspit among the Mounted Guardians, "At the current moment, a group of English magicals led by Albus Dumbledore are in the city and have requested a meeting with me," King Vallian didn't sound happy and no one could blame him since it was a well known fact Dumbledore didn't like the Mounted Guardians due to how violent they were, "To my surprise, he has asked for Miss Silver to be there,"

"Why Lyra?" Taylin burst out with a frown.

"Dumbledore only said that he has information that she needs to learn and that he would like to hire her squad for something," King Vallian shook his head, "I agreed though told him that under no circumstances would you be alone with any of them. While humans like Miss Silver are trustworthy, I do not trust English Magicals as far as I can throw them," Taylin tightened his grip on Lyra's hand telling her without words just how bothered he was by this, "I want you with me not as a Mounted Guardian, but as a Prince of the Sven kingdom,"

Both Mounted Guardians stared at the king in shock, Taylin hadn't acted like a prince since he bonded with Ausca. Mounted Guardians had no titles beside what they earned after bonding with their dragons. While Taylin would always be a prince and a king if the unthinkable happened, he wasn't treated as anything other than one of them. To be told he would have to act like a prince once more, it was a hard thing to even image let alone think it was true. Taylin shook his head, "Father, I'm a Mounted Guardian. I am no prince."

"But you are and you must act like such for this meeting," King Vallian reached out and set a hand on his son's shoulder, "My son, I am proud to see that you're taking your duties as a Mounted Guardian so seriously, but for this meeting, you must take up your duties as a prince of this kingdom once more,"

Taylin was silent and Lyra knew he was having an inner battle. On one hand, he wanted to do as his father asked. On the other, he wanted to stick by the rules they had followed since they became Mounted Riders. Taylin took a deep breath, "Father, I will try, but I am a Mounted Guardian first and foremost."

"I understand, My son," King Vallian removed his hand, "Now I am sure you have quite a bit of things to do, so I won't keep you any longer,"

* * *

Lyra checked over Karth's prostheses carefully, "Does it hurt?" Karth shook himself and barked at her, "I know, but you know that the healers want me to check every single time I see you. It looks good, so I'll go grab your saddle."

Putting the saddle on him, Lyra tightened everything before getting on his back. For a simple run and visit to the orphanage, she would only be taking her short swords and a single blaster with a dagger in her boot. While the streets of the city were safe, crime did occur and no Mounted Guardian was allowed to go anywhere without two weapons. Guiding him from the stall, she found Taylin waiting with Ausca. Taylin reached out to pat Karth's nose when the dragon raised his head towards the fey prince, "Everything alright?"

"Yup, Karth's prostheses are working and in no danger of causing any harm to him," Lyra smiled as Ausca raised her head and nudged her right side, "Nice to see you to, Miss Ausca. Ready for a run?"

Both dragons roared earning laughs from their riders, they headed down the corridor that would take them to the outer gates of the arena. The ride only took five minutes even at the leisurely pace the dragons walked. When they reached the gate, the two riders held out their identification bracelets and left arms which were tattooed with the Mounted Rider symbol. The guards checked the bracelets before scanning the tattoos with a looking glass coated with runes before moving away. One of them, a female water nymph, said, "I see you two are ready for a run. Going to visit the orphanage?"

"Yup," Lyra smiled at her while patting the saddle bag she'd packed for today, "Been busy today, Lor?"

"Been fairly boring, I finally got to start that book on Irish poetry you gave me for my birthday. Thank you again," Lor replied as the gates were opened.

"No problem, I just hope you'll be willing to discuss it with me," Lyra shrugged lightly, "Why can't more people like poetry?"

Taylin laughed as he said, "It's not that we don't like poetry. It's just that we don't love it as much as you do, Ly."

Rolling her eyes as the gates opened, Lyra said, "Let's get running."

"Right," Taylin replied.

Together they nudged their dragons and were off. The city of Nessium was one of the largest within the Sven kingdom and the most diverse when it came to species. The buildings were mostly white with shades of blue to keep the worst of the heat away during the day, but there were colors all over the place. Most districts had a specific color other than blue and white. Shades of brown and red to show the housing districts. Yellow for the banking, law, and loan distract. Green for the religious district. Pink and orange for the potions/healing district. Multi-colored for the market district though each seller had a banner with various crests on it to denote either where they're from or what noble house they serve. Purple with multi-colored streaks for the restaurant/entertainment district. The one thing that made the city stand out from most was the wide open areas and how there were three levels to the city. The levels surrounded the arena/training facility of the Mounted Guardians. Of all the districts that Lyra loved to go to, it was artist district which was settled on near the edge of the city. If it hadn't been for the wall surrounding the city, you wouldn't be able to tell it was even a part of Nessium.

Taylin spoke as they rode towards slow incline leading towards the second level, "What do you think is going to happen at the meeting?"

"Dunno, but if they have the money, we might end up going to England to end the war," Lyra grimaced at the thought, "I don't really want to fight for magicals that have their heads stuck up their asses,"

"Neither do I," Taylin admitted as they made their way through the market district, "But it is how it is. We'll heave to deal with it if Father decides to allow it,"

Lyra was silent for a few moments before asking, "Do you think he might use this as a way to create a treaty with them?"

Taylin was silent for a few moments before saying, "Perhaps, but I doubt it. With the kingdoms at peace for the most part, we don't need a treaty with them at the moment. Not to mention, I doubt Father will ever sign a treaty until they apologize to Diana for what happened ten years ago."

Lyra snickered at the reminder. Ten years ago, King Vallian and the rest of the Royal family journeyed to England for the annual treaty signing. While there, one of the nobles harassed Diana and payed her a great insult. Instead of killing the one that had done it as is common place within the kingdoms, King Vallian demanded an apology as the English were their allies. The English refused and King Vallian had broken off the treaty signing. Until the English apologized, they would never have a treaty with the Sven fey kingdom. Taylin glared lightly at her, "Ly."

"Sorry, I just think she kind of deserves it for being a brat," Lyra said earning a slight huff.

Taylin chuckled softly, "I know, but she's still my sister even if she is a bitch."

* * *

The orphanage was settled on the second level on the edge of the residential district. It was one of the ones that took in a mixture of species. At the current moment, the orphanage was inhabited by eight 11 to 12 year olds, nine 9 to 10 year olds, 1 eight year old, two six year olds, and ten 4 to 5 year olds. They did have a few babies, but they were rarely brought outside. Lyra unbuckled her legs as Taylin hopped off of Ausca and walked over to help her off of Karth, "After the meeting, we'll head to the healers."

"Right," Lyra agreed as she slipped off of Karth.

Taylin steadied her as Cain rushed up, "Hey, you guys made it just in time. How did breakfast go?"

"Smoothly, my parents are okay with having two ceremonies and agreed not to tell my siblings about the second one," Taylin answered as Lyra turned to get things from her saddle bag, "We also learned that the meeting involves English magicals,"

Cain visibly winced, "I feel for you. Any idea why?"

"Our squad might be hired by them," Taylin answered making Cain's eyes widen.

"We're not being separated?" Cain asked earning a nod, "Sweet! I don't think I could deal with rooming with a new group of assholes,"

Cain let out a yelp as Ausca swatted him with her tail. Lyra giggled, "We're among children, Cain. No swearing."

Grumbling, Cain rubbed his back, "Yeah, yeah. Let's get started."

Lyra removed the wrapped gift she was planning to give to a specific child just as the orphanage doors opened and children streamed out. It took over ten minutes to get every child to calm down and happily going through the goods that the Mounted Guardians brought for them. After that, she was able to find the specific child that she'd gotten the gift for. Carter, one of the half-fey half-human child, was currently settled beneath one of the large ash trees that somehow managed to grow on the second level outside of the gardens scattered throughout it. He took more after his human parent then his fey parent as was obvious by his rather plain outward looks. One of the few traits that showed his mixed heritage was his eyes. Only the fey were capable of having eyes that looked like the night sky with silvery stardust. Walking over to him, she spoke, "Hey, Carter. How have you been the last few weeks?"

Carter jolted causing his curly brown hair to jolt slightly, "Lyra! You're back!"

Carter jumped up and ran to hug her. He relaxed his grip a little revealing that he remembered injured side. Smiling, she ruffled his hair with her empty hand, "Yup and we're an official Mounted Guardians."

"We got to see the show yesterday, it was awesome!" Carter grinned up at her, "I can't wait to see if I can bond with a dragon,"

"Neither can I," Carter was ten which was the minimum age someone was allowed to try their hand at bonding with a dragon, "Is Karth okay?"

"He's fine and so am I," Lyra pulled away, "Now, I have a little gift for you that I picked up on our last trip to Vulmer's Hammer. I know that I missed your birthday last week what with all the training we've been doing, but here,"

She held out the wrapped gift she'd gotten him. Carter took it from her with wide eyes, "Y-you didn't have to get me anything, Lyra."

"I wanted to, Kiddo," Lyra smiled warmly down at him, "Now, open it,"

Carter looked at the silky emerald green cloth tied off with forest green ribbon. Settling down on the ground, He undid the ribbon before stuffing it into his pocket. More than likely, he was saving it to add to his collection of ribbons and fabrics. He unwrapped the cloth before gasping with wide eyes. Lyra smiled brightly knowing that she'd gotten him the best gift he could've been given. It was a well known fact that the settlement living within Vulmer's Hammer were some of the best creators this side of Delllea and Carter dreamed of go their to join them. Lyra had gifted him with one of the best sowing kits currently available and a pair of specially made scissors with his name engraved on them. Carter put down the present before throwing himself at her. With a smile, she hugged him close and laid her head on his as he whispered, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"It's no problem, Kiddo," Lyra honestly loved the kid like a little brother and probably would've adopted him by now if she could, "You're my little brother by spirit after all,"

Carter pulled away, "Lyra, do you think you can adopted me soon?"

"Not yet, but soon, I promise," Lyra told him, "If you bond with a dragon, I can sponsor you,"

"I hope I bond with one," Carter wrapped up his present and stood up, "I have something for you. I need to go grab it,"

Lyra watched him go off and smiled sadly. She jolted slightly when an arm wrapped around her waist before relaxing, "I really hope I can adopt him."

"I know and I do too," Taylin laid his head on her shoulder, "He's a good kid. I really think he's going to bond with a dragon. The magic he gives off and the way our dragons act around him just screams it,"

"Then again, he could be like your mother," Lyra reminded him.

Queen Saya had all the signs of someone that could bond with a dragon, but it never happened. No one knew why, but many believed it was due to the dragon they were meant to bond with not being born yet or having already died. Many times, they went on to get jobs that let them work with dragons in hopes that they would one day meet the dragon they were meant to bond with. Of course, the Mounted Guardians only trained those between the ages of ten and seventeen with the rare exemption for 18 or 19 year olds that managed to bond. Queen Saya helped raise the Vesca within the capital city, Dragon Ridge, and was considered a master at it. Taylin nodded and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, "True, but if that's true, my mother can take him on as an apprentice. Considering how likely it is for us to be stationed in the capital, it means you'd be able to see him fairly often."

Lyra hummed softly, but didn't reply as Carter returned. Carter smiled at Taylin, "Hello, Taylin. I trust you and Ausca are well?"

"We are and we've been ensuring the same for our other halves," Taylin answered while glancing towards where the dragons were settled.

Ausca and Karth were curled up together with the female dragon ensuring that no one messed with the male's prostheses. After their first visit once Karth's was mobile again, the kids had learned to avoid touching the prostheses though it was difficult to see the difference between the dragon's natural limbs and his artificial ones. It was still surprising to see the controlled female doting on the rambunctious male. It was as surprising as Taylin and Lyra's own pairing. Carter smiled at him, "Good. Lyra," Carter held out hand, "This is for you."

Lyra took it from him and smiled softly at the sight of the gift. It was a beautify made red and gold kerchief with dragons that looked like Karth stitched into it, "Oh Carter, this is absolutely beautiful."

"It's the first really good piece I've ever made," Carter flushed lightly, "I made it for your birthday though I didn't quite make it in time,"

"It doesn't matter," Lyra bent down to hug him, "I'll keep it with me always. Thank you so much, Carter,"

Carter hugged her in return.

* * *

Chris watched Dumbledore and those he chose to join him leave through the windows with a frown. Lilac spoke from her place beside him, "It's no fair that they get to go out and we don't."

"It's too dangerous for us," Warren said from his seat near the magical screen set near the wall.

It was surprising just how advanced the fey were to the other magical countries he'd been to save for Japan. At the current moment, the screen was showing the highlights of yesterdays event. Chris pushed away from the window, "I hate to admit it, but Warren's right."

Warren rolled his eyes before gasping, "Blood hell, our sister's dragon is awesome!"

"Huh?" Chris ran over to the screen with Lilac and the others.

On the screen, it showed Briar standing next a rather large looking four legged dragon with magma-like scales. A female fey dressed in a rather expensive looking dress spoke, "And this is Sergeant Lyra Silver and her dragon Karth. While she is a magical human, she has managed to not only rise up to the rank of Sergeant among her fellow trainees, but also managed to complete her last months of training even with crippling injures sustained during a training excursion. From the date we managed to collect, Sergeant Silver and her dragon Karth saved the youngest of our Princes and his dragon from death at the expense of themselves. They were injured, but all we've been able to gather is that they were crippling. I, for one, must say thank you to Sergeant Silver for saving our youngest prince and his dragon. She may be a human, but she is definitely worthy of being a Mounted Guardian..."

The screen shifted to show another dragon and rider though Chris didn't pay attention to it. He stared at the screen blankly as he ran what the fey had said through his mind. Briar and her dragon sustained crippling injuries? She participated in the event yesterday, but how did she manage it if she was hurt? Chris was knocked from his thoughts by Ron saying, "If they were hurt, why would they do that stuff yesterday?"

"I don't know," Chris murmured with a frown.

"I suppose we could ask her once they come to England," Hermione said while looking clearly disturbed, "But they didn't look hurt in the picture,"

Lilac tugged his shirt and Chris looked down at her, "Big Brother, is Briar going to be okay?"

"I don't think she would've participated in the event yesterday if she wasn't," Chris said with confidence that he didn't really feel at the moment.

Just what the hell did the Mounted Guardians do for training that could cause crippling injuries?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Here's the next chapter. Review please!**

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Lyra and Taylin headed towards their rooms to get cleaned up before the meeting. They split up and Lyra entered her room quickly where she found Kel waiting with a wrapped package. She paused and offered the raccoon shifter a confused look, "Kel? What's that?"

"A servant of the royal family brought this," Kel answered holding it out, "He said that it was the uniform you were supposed to wear it to the meeting,"

Lyra took the package and walked towards the table. Unwrapping it, she found a brand new uniform inside. The uniform of the mounted riders were basically like the uniform the trainees were given. It consisted of a black tunic, pants, and boots just like the trainee uniform. The only difference was the black collared jacket, the black belt lined with spelled pouches that could hold just about anything, and a silver pendant baring the crest of house Wyldfyr. She breathed in the scent coming off of it and shuddered with a pleased sigh. She was officially a Mounted Guardian. A grin stretched across her face as she said, "I'm going to wash up."

* * *

"You look amazing," Taylin said looked at Lyra in awe.

"Thanks," She grinned brightly, "It makes the fact we're really Mounted Guardians hit me," She eyed him and smirked, "Someone looks fancy,"

While he could fight in the rather high quality material, it wasn't made with combat of any kind in mind. For the first time since bonding with Ausca, Taylin wore the bronze circlet naming him a prince of the kingdom. He snorted softly, "You know that I would prefer not wearing something like this."

She didn't blame him. After so many years, they had all gotten so used to wearing their uniforms that wearing anything else felt foreign. Even the clothes she wore on her days off felt foreign, it was something her mentor had warned her about when she'd asked why the woman had always seemed uncomfortable in her clothes when she wasn't training. She nodded lightly feeling the old pain and grief from her mentors death run through her once more, "We should get going."

"Yeah," Taylin said as he left his room and closed the door behind him, "Father left a note with my clothes stating that the meeting was taking place in the Sulfur meeting hall," Lyra felt a bit of pity for the English Magicals, "He's definitely going for the intimidation factor,"

"Definitely," Lyra agreed as they started walking.

The Sulfur meeting hall was one of the largest rooms in the entire compound. It could contain forty-five Mounted Guardians, their dragons, and two squads of infantry while leaving enough room for a large table, sixteen chairs, and two large dragon statues. The hall held the permanent scent of sulfur and ash which was how the meeting hall gained it's name. Of course, the large pit of bubbling magma sitting against the wall of the room could have helped with that.

* * *

King Vallian, Queen Saya, and their personal contingent of Mounted Guardians were already in the room. They were the best of the best and something every Mounted Guardian strive to become. Said Mounted Guardians had their bonded partners with them, Lyra's eyes focused on the avian-like dragon coated in flame-like feathers that looked much like a fire phoenix only in dragon form. The dragon was name Horus and was one of the finest examples of fire born vesca. Karth looked up to Horus much like how Lyra looked up to his partner. Vesper Holt was a half-human half-fey hybrid with long moonbeam pale hair and similarly colored eyes. She was one of the first half-human half-fey to become an elite and was in line to become the leader of her squad within the next year or so. Taylin pressed a hand to Lyra's back to calm her down as she did the same to Karth. The dragon was visibly shivering in excitement at being this close to his idol, but managed to calm down enough to only tremble slightly. King Vallian greeted them with a smile, "My son, Sergeant Silver, I am glad that you made it on time."

"It is no problem, Father," Taylin replied with a light smile as Lyra saluted the king.

Queen Saya walked over to Karth and Ausca who both stilled completely. The queen extended a hand to both of them and the two dragons sniffed her fingers before licking them. Queen Saya began examining her son's dragon partner, "As beautiful as the last time I saw you, Ausca. My son's been taking good care of you."

Ausca's chest puffed up a little at the praise as did Taylin, "We thank you mother."

Queen Saya let out a laugh before turning to Karth. She went straight to his left front leg and bent down to look at the elbow joint where the prosthesis connected to the leg, "I can't even tell the difference between where the organic part ends and the metal part begins. Has there been any pain or sensitivity?"

"Not since the first month or so," Lyra replied bending down as well while reaching out to touch where the thin scales of Karth's leg met the smooth metal of the prosthesis, "The only time it had any sensitivity was last month when we ended up in the mountains. The cold got to Karth and made it a bit difficult for him to move the leg without feeling some form of pain. We ended up switching out his old one with a new one from Vulmer's Hammer that wasn't quite so sensitive to changes in heat. Of course, we do have at least three replacements ready and one is currently being shipped from Vulmer's Hammer. Once Karth begins his next growing cycle, we will need to return to Vulmer's Hammer to get a replacement. Luckily, it'll be another year before he enters it,"

"And his other one?" Queen Saya moved towards Karth's back left leg.

"Same as the first though it took a bit longer for him to get used to that one," Lyra moved with her, "He lost more of the leg and his body kept rejecting the prosthesis during the first month. Luckily, he has adapted,"

"Good," Queen Saya moved towards Karth's tail which would thankfully not need a prosthesis by the time his next growing cycle ended as fire born vesca were much like lizards when it came to their tails, "Has his tail began regrowing yet?"

"No, but the scales and bones have started to thicken back up," Lyra was grateful for that since Karth's tail was one of his natural weapons and helped his balance.

While it would likely take over a year for Karth's tail to regain it's former length, he would at the very least regain the strength he'd once had in his tail. It would take almost as long for Karth to regain the barbs that had once taken up the tip of his tail. Queen Saya nodded slowly as she stood up, "Good. Were the poison sacks damaged at all?"

"Only some cosmetic damage which healed over quite nicely," It had been very lucky that they hadn't ruptured during the fight or after it, "He's been very careful when exercising them. According to the healers, he should be able to use them to the fullest in another month if he continues to heal as well as he has. Of course, the scars will remain and he will have to be a bit more careful when it comes to fighting beings that can get through the thick guarding scales. With any luck, the scars over them will heal enough that only those that either know they're there or have keen enough eyesight will see them,"

"And what about you?" Queen Saya asked as Lyra stood beside her partner.

"The healers say that my left side will always be a bit weaker than my right, but with time and proper exercise, it won't impair me," Lyra answered earning a slight nod, "We will be going to visit the healers after the meeting just to make sure yesterdays event hasn't done anything to push back my recovery,"

"Smart," Queen Saya reached out to clasp Lyra's hands, "I must thank you again, Lyra. If it weren't for you and your partners actions, I would've lost my youngest,"

"You don't need to thank me," Lyra replied with a slight sigh since this was a conversation they've had before though it was mostly through letters, "Tay is my the man I love and Ausca is the one Karth loves. To let either of them be killed would cripple us in ways that a mortal wound could not, I would do it all over again," Lyra's eyes found Taylin's, "Even at the cost of my life,"

Taylin outwardly smiled, but his eyes said just how true the statement would be if the situation was reversed. They would protect each other with their very lives. Taylin cleared his throat, "Mother, there is something I want to ask you."

"Oh?" Queen Saya let go of Lyra's hands and turned to her son curiously.

"During our visits to the orphanage, we bonded with a young half-ling of ten winters," Taylin answered as Lyra walked over to stand beside him, "Lyra in particular bonded with him to the point they see each other as siblings,"

"I see," Queen Saya looked a little surprised, "And why are you bringing this to my attention,"

"Carter, the half-ling," Taylin seemed a little hesitant, "Will be attempting to bond with a dragon this year. While we're fairly sure he will, we understand that there might be a possibility that he's like you. If he doesn't, we were hoping that you'd take him on as an apprentice,"

The queen was silent for a few moments before nodding, "I wouldn't mind taking on an apprentice, but I want to meet this boy. Even with your recommendation, I want to ensure that he'll be a good fit."

"Thank you, Mother," Taylin murmured as Lyra echoed with his sentiment.

King Vallian cleared his throat, "Our guests should be here soon, please take your seats."

* * *

The doors to the meeting hall opened five minutes after everyone had gotten seated. A group of six English magicals strode into the room while following one of the servants. The servant bowed, "My King, I present you Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Lord James Potter, Lady Lily Potter, Potion Master Severus Snape, Auror Nymphadora Tonks, and Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Thank you, Corrin. You're dismissed," King Vallian said while standing along with Queen Saya and Taylin, "Headmaster Dumbledore and other guests, I am pleased to welcome you to the Sulfur meeting hall. Allow me to introduce those with me," He waved towards Queen Saya, "My lovely wife Saya,"

"A pleasure, Headmaster," Queen Saya murmured.

Dumbledore bowed along with the rest though two of them looked a little displeased by the lack of greeting they received, "The pleasure is all mine, Queen Saya."

"My youngest son, Taylin and his partner Ausca," The magicals gave the dragon an alarmed look.

Taylin smiled as he patted his partner's side as the dragon let out a soft rumble, "Greetings, Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Your dragon looks wonderful, Prince Taylin," Dumbledore told him earning a nod.

"Captain Orion Vole and his partner Wind Dancer," King Vallian gestured towards the quiet short haired Sven fey.

Orion Vole was tall and very slim with grey hair. He was paler than most Sven fey which surprisingly served him well as a shadow caller. He controlled the shadows with an ease that most couldn't even hope for. The endless pools of black that he called eyes showed his mastery of the shadows. He was around 250 years old which was very old for an elite. Wind Dancer was a shadow born vesca. He had jet black scales with silver wisps and was just as slim as his bonded. He looked rather delicate compared to most dragons, but the scars lining his scales showed just how much battle he'd seen during his long life. A mane of shadow-like membranes ran from the rest of his head down his neck. Orion eyed Dumbledore with an impassive gaze and spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Commander Vole," Dumbledore actually looked pale as he looked at the impassive fey and his silent dragon.

It was said that if you heard Wind Dancer growl, you would be dead before fully registering the sound. King Vallian gestured to the next member of the team which was Vesper Holt, "Captain Vesper Holt and her partner Horus."

"Headmaster," Vesper greeted with a warm smile.

"Captain Vesper, your dragon is quite interesting," Headmaster Dumbledore looked at Horus with no small amount of awe along with those with him, "I had heard the rumors, but he really does look like a phoenix,"

"And sounds just a beautiful though he lacks the tears unfortunately," Only gaia born vesca held any true healing abilities.

King Vallian gestured to the next member of the team which was a jackal shifter, "Sergeant Karis Bone and his partner Anubis."

Karis was heavily muscled with short, but ragged obsidian colored hair and unnerving golden eyes that peered at the group of English Magicals with hunger in his eyes. The shifter's bronze skin was covered in black and red ink. In many ways, he was the most feral of the elite and someone many feared for his brutal methods. Anubis was a jet black dragon with bone ridges gutting out of his back and a long bone white tail covered with sharp spikes. His eyes were a cruel golden color that mimicked his rider's hunger. He was a bone born vesca. If given a chance, the two would rip apart the magicals within seconds. Karis smile was cruel and showed off pearly white fangs glistening in the light as his deep voice growled, "Headmaster Dumbledore, what a pleasant sight."

"Sergeant Bone," Dumbledore looked heavily uncomfortable and the red haired woman that was supposed to be Lady Potter looked about ready to pass out, "I see that you haven't changed since last we met,"

Karis went to say something only for Orion to speak, "Karis, not now."

Karis growled softly before quieting completely and settling in his seat. King Vallian cleared his throat as he gestured to the next member of the team, "Vice-Captain Marvin Clock and his partner Haze."

Marvin Clock was a slim cheetah shifter with wavy black spotted sand colored hair. He had dark amber eyes that focused on the wizards with a serene impassiveness. He had heavily tanned skin marked with black ink following a spot-like pattern that supposedly looked just like his fur in cheetah form. He was the calmest of the elite and the fastest. Haze was a thin sand colored dragon with pale gold markings running across her scales. She lacked much in the way of spikes or ridges to protect her seemingly fragile body. She made up for it with speed much like her fellow light born vesca. Marvin greeted Dumbledore with a serene smile, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I hope that you may join me for some tea and a chess match while you're still in the city."

"It would be my pleasure," Dumbledore replied with a kind smile.

"Sergeant Sen Nos and her partner Gentle," King Vallian gestured to the next member of the team.

Sen was one of forest born Sven fey and it showed due to her coloring. She had braided forest green hair and brown bark-like skin. Pupil-less green rimmed brown eyes stared at the wizards. Sly was a gaia born dragon with bright green scales. She was rather large with trunk-like legs and antler like horns that arched out of her head. She had a rather blunt muzzle and dull fangs which were meant more for chew bark and berries than eating meat. Sen inclined her head and spoke in a whispery voice, "Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Sergeant Nos and Miss Gentle," Dumbledore greeted the pair.

King Vallian gestured to the last member of the elite team, "Sergeant Garfield Grover and his partner North."

Garfield Grover was a lycan with heavily scarred and muscled tan skin. He was shorter than most, but more than made up for it by how large he apparently was in his wolf form. He had bright ice blue eyes showing his alpha status and shaggy brown hair that fell to his shoulders. North was a rather bulky dragon with a rather large muzzle that was made for tracking. Thick ice blue scales coated her body while thin white marks tore through the blue almost as if they were cracks. A cold air radiated from the dragon showing that it was an ice born vesca. Garfield snorted softly, "Headmaster."

"Sergeant Grover," Dumbledore's voice was surprisingly cold.

King Vallian gestured to Lyra, "And finally, Sergeant Lyra Silver and her partner Karth."

Lyra eyed the English Magicals with a little distaste though she would admit that she could respect Severus Snape for his potions mastery, "Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Sergeant Silver," Dumbledore eyed her with no small amount of surprise along with the other members of his group, "You seem rather young for being a Sergeant,"

Lyra's eyes narrowed, but said nothing as Karth began growling at Dumbledore. The normally playful and somewhat air-headed demeanor of her partner was stripped away at the slight insult. She felt a little bit of pleasure at the sight of Dumbledore backing up a step before she placed a hand on Karth's scales causing him to fall silent. She spoke, "I apologize. Karth is rather protective of me especially when it comes to things he finds insulting."

Dumbledore's eyes widened as he quickly amended his statement, "I didn't mean any insult. I meant it as a compliment as you must have worked hard to achieve your rank especially upon graduation."

Karth snorted causing a few sparks to float from his nostrils and Lyra patted his side, "I do not need any compliments. My partner and I still have a long way to go before any compliments will actually be due."

After all, human Mounted Guardians would always struggle to not only keep their position, but rise to new ones. Considering she hoped to one day become a commander just like her mentor, she had a very long way to go. King Vallian spoke, "Please take your seats and have some refreshments."

* * *

Lyra rubbed the ridge under Karth's right eye feeling a bit bored. Karth was drinking some of the brandy that had been laid out for him alongside a few lava rocks that still steamed slightly. She herself was nursing a goblet of spiced dark red wine as she waited for the king and queen to finish their pleasantries. One thing she wasn't looking forward to now that she was a Mounted Guardian was the political aspects. It was one of the classes back during training that she absolutely loathed even if she was somewhat good at it. Mounted Guardians were often used as diplomats and emissaries between the kingdoms. It was a lot safer for everyone involved since it was rare that any assassin would be able to get the drop on a Mounted Guardian. Of course, it required more training than what she had to become a diplomat or emissary. She did know that she would probably have to learn more especially once she married Taylin, but that would be at least a year away from now if not longer considering how long it usually took fey weddings to take place. Lyra was knocked from her musing as one of the female witches, the wizarding noble lady, asked, "Is he actually eating those?"

Lyra glanced at her partner as he picked up a lava rock and began to crunch it, "Yes. Lava rocks are a good source of nutrition for fire born vesca as it helps them regulate their inner heat. If they get sick, they're given lava rocks to assist them in their recovery," Karth let out a low grumble of pleasure, "Fire born vesca are often born around volcanoes and feed from the volcano which assists them in growing up strong."

Seemingly encouraged by the conversation, the woman leaned closer, "You Mounted Guardians seem rather close to your dragons."

Every Mounted Guardian sat with their dragon either curled around them or laid out beside them. Karth eyed the woman for a moment before snorting and returning to his snack as Lyra said, "They are our most constant companion and the closest due to our bond. Even the bonds that we have with our mates will not truly compare to the one we have with our dragons as they are connected to us in a way that no one else can be," Warmth flowed through the bond she shared with Karth and she knew he could feel the same warmth as she sent it back, "We as theirs just as they are ours. It is not something that can be accurately described to someone that is not a Mounted Guardian. The only ones that could even make a guess that could come close to what our bond actually is, is an Empath and they would not be able to fully explain it."

"Is that why it's rare for Mounted Guardians to fall in love with non-Mounted Guardians?" The woman asked curiously.

"No," Lyra didn't really have an answer, "I suppose most prefer loving those that can understand our bonds. Our dragons may play a part as they are protective of us and it takes a lot for non-Mounted Guardians to gain their respect," Lyra drank some of her wine, "Why do you ask?"

"We don't have Mounted Guardians in England or know a lot about them," The woman, Lily Potter she recalled, said.

Lyra snorted at that, "Your ministry has never had a good view of us despite it's wishes to use our powers during wars. If given a chance, they would treat us like they do werewolves and vampires. In their opinion, our dragons are nothing more than beasts and we're just like them for even bonding with them."

Lily winced at the tone, "I see your point. I suppose you do not like us."

"No," Was the simplest answer she could give.

* * *

Finally, King Vallian spoke, "I believe it is time that we discussed your reason for wanting this meeting and why you asked for Sergeant Silver to be here."

Dumbledore's expression grew grim, "I have no doubt that you know of what occurred almost fifteen years ago."

"The self-stylized Lord Voldemort was apparently vanquished by a child barely older than a year. Said child was prophesied to do it," King Vallian replied with a snort, "We are aware of his return as you well know seeing as we gave you the warning our seers deigned to gift you. The Ministry refused to believe it which left our alliance rocky. You wish for us to send a squad to help with your war,"

"That, but we found out a few weeks ago that the child we thought had vanquished Voldemort wasn't the one that did it," Dumbledore answered earning a few looks of surprise, "Young Christopher was only used to bring back Voldemort as no one could find the actual prophesy child and he didn't wish to put off his return any longer,"

King Vallian frowned, "And you believe that your prophesy child is among our people?"

"After young Christopher was named the 'Boy-Who-Lived', I thought it would be best for his older sister to be placed with her mundane relatives as the child seemed to have lost her magic that night," Dumbledore answered earning scoff from Queen Saya.

"Did you take her a healer to find that out or did you simply check yourself?" Queen Saya's tone was scathing and no one save for the wizards seemed surprised.

Queen Saya took the health of children just as importantly as she did the vesca. She was the one to ensure there was an orphanage in every city and that all the children were well taken care of. She randomly visited each and every orphanage throughout the kingdom and had outright killed anyone that tried to abuse any child. Dumbledore actually looked ashamed of herself, "No."

"Fool," Queen Saya looked like she wanted to kill the headmaster.

Taylin spoke up, "But there was never any mention of an older sibling even before the whole incident."

"We had our daughter right after graduating Hogwarts," James Potter explained looking a little bit shameful, "We didn't have time to marry before her birth,"

"So you hold bastards in low regard," Taylin looked disgusted as did everyone save for the English Magicals.

Very few in the kingdoms cared if a child was a bastard or not. The fey rarely married outside of the noble class and the same could be said among the other species. Long-lived species rarely married unless love was very true. Taylin and Lyra were among those that loved one another. James Potter flushed, "She is still the heir to the Potter family."

"Let me guess, you were hoping to abandon her and without any magic, she couldn't inherit the title," Taylin shook his head.

Dumbledore looked distinctly uncomfortable, "How about we return to the matter at hand?" Everyone focused on him those many shot the Potter nobles looks of disgust, "The child was left with her relatives only it turns out she was given to who we now know was a slaver. The uncle apparently had underworld connections. After that, we don't know what happened, but she ended up in the Sven Kingdom."

"That wouldn't surprise me," King Vallian admitted, "Our people take dealing with slavers very seriously and any children found are sent to orphanages unless they need help recovering from their ordeal," Mounted Guardians were given the order to kill any slavers they come across and rescue any prisoners found, "But that doesn't explain how you know she ended up in the Sven Kingdom,"

"We used the ancient quill normally reserved for finding students for Hogwarts to find her," Dumbledore pulled out a letter, "Young Briar's location is in this city. It wasn't until we discovered she was a Mounted Guardian from the event yesterday when her picture appeared on the magical screen,"

Taylin and Lyra both froze before looking at one another. Ausca and Karth both began growling as they felt their partners unrest. Both touched their partners to calm them as King Vallian asked, "And I suppose you believe Sergeant Silver is Briar Potter?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said looking at Lyra.

Lyra frowned at him, "Why do you believe I'm Briar Potter?"

"You are an orphan, are you not?" Dumbledore asked making Lyra's frown deepen.

"What does that have to do with anything? There are plenty of orphans around my age within the city," Lyra did not like where this was going.

Queen Saya spoke before Dumbledore could reply, "There is an easy way to find out if Sergeant Silver really is Briar Potter, we only need to call in a healer and have them do a heritage test."

Heritage tests were done mostly on slaver victims, but it was a rather useful in cases such as this when an orphan's family wished to claim their child. Of course, anyone over the age of seventeen or was a member of the Mounted Guardians didn't have to go with their family. Lyra frowned, but nodded, "Let's do it, I would prefer not to linger on the matter nor fight as there is much to do today."

* * *

It took barely a few moments for the healer to appear with the appropriate materials. Karth growled a little when Lyra's skin was pierced by a needle, but relaxed when she pressed a hand to his scales. The Potter's both flinched and looked at the needle with distrust earning a few amused glances. English Magicals were behind when it came to medicine and various treatments. The healer took out three vials and put the blood in them before taking out a potion. The potion was a pale blue color and glowed slightly in the light. The healer spoke as he put four drops of the potion into each vial of blood, "The blood cells will absorb the potion. I will shake up the vials and fill them with magic. Within two minutes, we should have the results for the test."

"And how will we know what the results are?" Lily Potter asked earning a few annoyed looks.

"The potion will turn green. The darker the color, the more closely you're related," The healer answered with barely contained disdain, "If it turns emerald green, you're her parents," The healer turned to Queen Saya, "My queen, will there be anything else after this?"

"No, Healer Thrain. Thank you for your assistance in this matter," Queen Saya smiled at him.

"It is no problem," Healer Thrain inclined his head before looking towards Lyra, "Sergeant Silver, I expect you and your partner to be in the infirmary as soon as the meeting is over. I will not tolerate any missed appointments,"

"We were planning on it though the reminder is appreciated," Lyra smiled lightly at the healer that had ensured she wouldn't be losing any limbs.

Healer Thrain's lips twitched slightly at her words before he returned to focusing on the potion. Lily Potter spoke looking concerned, "Why would you have to go to the healers? Did you get injured in the whole thing yesterday?"

"It is of no concern of yours," Taylin spoke with a frown, "Especially if Lyra is not your daughter,"

"Where did you get that name, anyway?" James Potter asked.

"My mentor gave it to me after she took me on as an apprentice," Lyra answered feeling the dull ache at the reminder of her mentor, "She died a few years ago,"

It was not a topic she wished to discuss and refused to do so with people she didn't even know. If they really were her parents, Lyra was definitely not going to discuss it with them. Taylin took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly with a frown. He knew just how hard it had been for her to lose the only parent she had ever had in her life. After all, he had seen the shell she had become and he'd helped her recover. Lyra closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure before reopening them and looking at Taylin thankfully. He smiled lightly at her as Ausca padded over to nudge her lightly. Smiling, Lyra rubbed Ausca's nose earning a low groan of pleasure from the female dragon before she wandered over to Karth. The silence that had fallen over the room was broken by Healer Thrain, "It would appear that they are Sergeant Silver's parents."

Lyra felt a coldness sweep through her as she looked at her so-called parents as Healer Thrain put the vials of blood into the magma pit and took his leave. King Vallian cleared his throat, "With that settled, we should resume our meeting."

Dumbledore nodded, "Of course. Due to the prophesy, we need Sergeant Silver to kill Voldemort and end the war."

"I am unsure what you mean by war," King Vallian took a long drag of his wine, "According to our sources, your ministry refuses to acknowledge Voldemort's return. While we are aware of his return, I would hardly call it a war. All he has done is try to regain his power among his existing followers,"

"They will acknowledge it as soon as Voldemort makes his move, but I wish to ensure the casualties are reduced," Dumbledore informed them.

King Vallian gazed at the aged Headmaster in contempt, "Headmaster Dumbledore, you do realize that the Mounted Guardians will kill their targets? Voldemort's existence is an affront to nature and we are duty bound to end him as soon as possible. Anyone who stands with him shall face the same fate regardless of their awareness of this fact. The only ones we will spare are children and even then, we will only spare those under the age of fifteen. Are you willing to have that on your conscious?"

Dumbledore looked quite pale and grave, "Voldemort must be destroyed. For the greater good."

"Then, we will start negotiations," King Vallian looked towards Lyra and Taylin, "You two are excused. Sergeant Silver, I expect you to inform your squad that you'll be given a mission. I leave it up to you to inform them of anything else discussed here,"

Lyra and Taylin stood up with the two saluting the king. Lyra spoke as Karth and Ausca stood up as well, "As you wish, my king."

The two left the room with Karth and Ausca trailing behind them. They nodded to the guards before heading towards the infirmary. Taylin wrapped an arm around her waist and lightly tugged her to him as they walked, "You going to be okay, Ly?"

"Finding out about my parentage and the fact that I'm a bastard doesn't really faze me," Lyra replied after a few moments of thinking, "The fact that they were so quick to abandon me just because I was a bastard and apparently didn't have any magic bothers me. I won't acknowledge them as family, but I suppose that I will give any siblings I might have a chance,"

Taylin pressed a kiss to her cheek, "This won't change anything, Ly."

"I know," Lyra kissed his cheek in return.

* * *

Healer Thrain took her left arm and began to flex it making Lyra wince slightly, "How much does that hurt compared to two days ago?"

"It hurts a bit less, but I'm still having a bit of trouble extending it fully," Lyra replied as Healer Thrain pressed into one of the thick scars and sent a pulse of magic through it causing the pain to numb a bit, "Getting dressed is easier as time goes on, but I still need help in some cases. I can get dressed without much help, Kel did have to help me get ready for the meeting today. I still can't brush my hair without the pain being too much so Taylin helps with that,"

"And your side?" Healer Thrain moved from her arm down to her side.

"I can bend without much pain, but putting too much pressure on it hurts horribly," Lyra answered earning a nod.

Lyra flinched as his fingers pressed into her side enough that she barely managed to avoid cursing loudly. Healer Thrane heard the gasp and caught sight of her pinched face, "I'll need to scan your side since you shouldn't be feeling so much pain there any more."

"Okay," Lyra agreed as Healer Thrain moved down to her leg.

She only winced a little bit earning a slight smile from the Healer. He stood up, "It looks like it's healing the best out of all your injuries. So long as you keep doing your exercises, the scar tissue will break up. Has it given out on you recently?"

"No," Lyra was thankful for that as it would've made completing her training even harder.

Healer Thrain nodded and stood up to gather the equipment to scan her side, "Lay down on your right side please. As it currently stands, you're recovering very well. If you continue recovering at this rate, you'll be able to make an almost full recovery. Depending on the results of my scans, I will be giving you a new list of exercises to use. Taylin," Taylin walked over, "I want you to watch over both Lyra and Karth carefully while on your mission. While they're both healing, I would prefer it if you were to watch them."

"Yes, sir," Taylin agreed with nod, "So any idea what's wrong with her side?"

"We will see though I have an idea," Healer Thrane set up the scanner and powered it.

Taylin grabbed her hand and squeezed it earning a smile from Lyra, "Are we going to tell Carter about your mother's interest?"

"I would prefer to leave it as a surprise," Taylin replied earning a soft laugh from Lyra, "He doesn't get too many surprises after all,"

Healer Thrain pushed her to lay on her back after a few moments before having her lay on her stomach while he moved to the other side of the bed. Finally, he finished and began going over the result, "Well, it looks like all the moving around in the recent weeks has reopened some of the damage and it seems we missed a few fairly small pieces of what seems like stone. I can remove it with ease once I gather the needed materials. Would you like to do so now?"

Lyra thought about it before asking, "Would I be able to ride Karth after or no?"

"It would be ill-advised," Healer Thrain replied, "But it would be best to get rid of it as soon as possible,"

Inwardly sighing, Lyra nodded, "Let's get rid of it now. Tay," Lyra looked at her lover, "Can you send a message to the others?"

"Of course," Taylin agreed with a slight frown.

* * *

Healer Thrain spoke as he sealed her side with a grey paste, "The wound should heal itself with the enhanced solution by tomorrow. The pain should be totally gone within the next week or so. I would advise avoiding the hot springs tonight. Other than avoid sleeping on that side, I have nothing else to say other than come back if something goes wrong."

"We will," Taylin told the healer as he finished pulling Lyra's tunic down.

The female Mounted Guardian was feeling rather weightless and tired. Taylin carefully picked her up since she would be out of it for another hour or so. Healer Thrain smiled lightly, "You two are good for each other."

Taylin nodded as Lyra pressed her nose into his neck, "I know."

Healer Thrain was one of the older half-fey healers and had seen a lot. Hearing that he thought they were good for each other was as much of a compliment as they would get from the man, it showed that he thought that their relationship would work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Okay here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Shad0wRider97:** **Thanks for the review if you're still reading! I do too.**

 **Sakura Lisel: Thanks for the review and I'm glad you like it. Correction, two and a half year old baby. It's tempting and the reckoning will happen soon enough, I promise. It will happen soon enough, trust me. She's sixteen though her birthday will be happening soon enough. Magical Guardians are technically adults as soon as they bond with their dragon.**

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

"Damn," Malcom whistled as he lounged beside his greenish yellow winged dragon on one of the rock beams settled above them, "I mean anything can happen, but your parents appearing just as we became full members of the corps? Not to mention the whole thing about a prophesy,"

Everyone was settled around the training room they normally used though Tsuki was currently pacing. Malcom and his dragon preferred the highest perches available most due to the fact they were both born in mountainous areas. Malcom's dragon was bat-like in appearance with large ears and large wings attached to it's forelegs. It's eyes were a deep bloody red with a few lighter pink rings around the pupil. His name was Striker and he was covered in a thin layer of fur with hard layers of muscle that made up for his lack of scales. He was a cave born vesca.

Tsuki's dragon, Cassian, was a slim dragon with a long and thick ribbed nose. He was covered in delicate looking dark grey and white scales. The only spikes on his body were on his paws and could be retracted when not in use. He was stream-line in appearance compared to most ice-born vesca though that was due to his mixed heritage. He was a metal born vesca. He had sky blue eyes that focused on his pacing rider. Tsuki growled softly, "Are they seriously just going to let us go on a mission there? I doubt they even know how much care goes into keeping our partners in good condition not to mention ourselves."

"Are you alright, Lyra?" Evan asked in a soft tone.

Evan's shadow born vesca, Tess, was curled up against her partner's side while staring at Lyra with her luminescent yellow orbs. Tess' scales were more purple than the jet black of Wind Dancer and she was thicker than the elder male. The mane of shadow-like membranes flexed slightly with a purple tint. A shadowy orb hung from her neck via the long shadow-like membranes. It flickered slightly the longer she focused on it prompting her to look at Evan. The were-panther's gaze was filled with concern making her feel guilty. Taking a deep breath and inwardly wincing at the dull ache radiating through her side, Lyra said, "No, but I will be fine eventually. It's a lot to take in."

"We're here for you," Cain offered earning a nod of acknowledgement from Lyra, "We are a pack after all,"

The fact that the vampire was actually using the term showed how serious he was. Vampires didn't run in packs and loathed using the identifier due to how closely it was associated with werewolves. Smiling lightly, Lyra said, "I know."

"So," Tsuki's eyes were sharp, "Are we allowed to kill them? They did abandon you after all. True family doesn't abandon each other simply because of the matter of ones birth,"

"No," Lyra was kind of tempted by the shifter's offer, "My younger siblings need them and I would prefer to get to know them before I kill their parents,"

"Not going to acknowledge them?" Cain asked earning a raised eyebrow from Lyra, "I figured, but having conformation is good,"

"What are you going to do?" Malcom asked her curiously, "You're a noble even if you're a bastard,"

And that was something she'd been thinking about since the pain killers had worn off yesterday. She was silent for a few moments before saying, "It's tempting to take my place as heir to that family if only to spite my bearer and sperm donor, but I think I'll just abdicate the position to my younger brother. It isn't his fault they tossed me away. Besides, the noble status is only really worth anything to those within the magical communities outside of the country," Lyra smiled as she said, "Besides, I'm a Mounted Guardian. The only reason I'd use my noble status would be to make people protest less when Tay and I marry."

Malcom grinned and clapped his hands, "Well that's settled and we can't really plan at the moment since we don't have any concrete ideas about the mission. We should probably start preparing a bit. Orders, Alpha?"

"Everyone should head to the black smiths and have their gear checked over," Lyra answered earning nods as everyone sat up straighter, "I want everyone to get their partner checked over regardless of what their current health is. Any perishable supplies will have to be bought at a later date, but everything else can be stocked up. Extra throwing knives, potion vials, med kit supplies, storage bags, and anything else you can think of needs to be bought. Malcom, Tsuki," Both looked at her, "I want you to get maps of England. Multiple ones that we can use for the duration of the mission. Get any books on English flora and fauna as well. We don't want to run into any surprises. Alert the supply department of our mission,"

"Of course, Alpha," Both chorused with concentration painted across their features.

"Cain, Evan, I want you to gather any supplies for your crafts you can," Lyra eyed the two as they looked at her seriously, "I have a feeling we'll need your abilities. Any history books you come across pertaining to England's last 'war' must be bought. Flying blind is a no-go,"

"Yes, Alpha," The two murmured.

"Taylin," Lyra looked at her lover, "Any healing supplies you can get and any other knowledge you think is useful,"

"Yes, Alpha," Taylin's tone was soft and slightly husky making Lyra shiver slightly.

Pushing her feelings back, Lyra said, "I'll be speaking to those that have had missions in England in the past and seeing if I can't catch one of the English magicals alone to find out the current state of things. I will see if I can't whip up something helpful as well as gather materials for my craft," Lyra looked at each of her pack member's faces and spoke seriously, "We will do our best on this mission and complete it. Everyone is coming home no matter what," They looked at one another and nodded to her, "This is our first mission as full Mounted Guardians, it's scary and awesome that we're finally at this point," They snickered and grinned, "Be careful, guys. I don't want to lose any of our family, our pack, to a bunch of English Magicals. Do not get cocky," They nodded in solemn seriousness, "Now, we should get going. We never know when they'll finish their negotiations."

Everyone got up and headed out.

* * *

Chris tried not to scowl as he held Lilac's hand. Lily and James had decided to take everyone out to the market. Everyone save for his friends and siblings had separated awhile ago. It was nice getting out, but they wouldn't answer any questions about what had happened yesterday. Chris took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He would get his answers eventually. Lilac tugged his hand causing him to look down at her along with Warren, "Yeah, Sis?"

"Can we go there?" Lilac pointed out a stall selling what looked like jewelry.

He hesitated before shrugging, "Sure. Mom!" He called out causing Lily to look at him with an irritated look for interrupting her, "Lilac saw a stall she wanted to look at."

"Go look at it then," Lily turned back to James and he realized that the two were arguing.

Chris shrugged and walked over to the stall with Lilac and Warren. His friends followed soon after though Hermione looked towards the adults who were beginning to walk away. Chris inwardly rolled his eyes as he said, "We'll find them later."

"If you're sure," Hermione didn't look so sure.

* * *

Lyra walked beside Taylin looking at the various stalls. Thanks to their perspective mission, they were able to wander around the market district. It was a pleasantly warm day though she doubted the English magicals thought that. They were probably over heating or something. Lyra heard Karth growl and looked towards her partner, "Something wrong, Buddy?"

Karth pawed at the ground and the sensation of something wrong mixed with the urge to go somewhere hit her. Taylin looked at them in concern, "Something wrong?"

"Karth feels something wrong and the need to go somewhere," Lyra told him with a frown.

"Is it urgent?" Taylin asked as they moved away from the stall.

Lyra felt Karth's side of the bond before nodding, "Yeah."

"Let's go see what's going on," He suggested after looking at the antsy dragon.

Karth took off at a brisk pace that they easily kept up with. Soon enough, they found themselves in a slightly overgrown park. A bit of confusion filled her, but she followed her partner as he led the way through the park. A slight yelp of surprise sounded as Karth pushed his way through a bush. Using a bit of magic, she pushed the bush apart enough to allow Taylin and Ausca to follow the fire born vesca. Soon enough, Lyra found herself looking at a trio of teenager, a boy that looked like he could have started attempting to bond with a dragon, and young girl that looked like she was suffering from heat exhaustion. They all looked to be feeling the heat in some way, but the little girl looked worse off. One of the teens, a ginger haired boy, swore, "Bloody hell, that's a huge dragon."

"He's friendly," Lyra assured them as Karth walked towards the little girl, "Tay, check out the kid. I'll get the story from these guys,"

Taylin made his way over with Ausca and bent down beside the young boy, "Don't worry, I'm a trained healer. This is my partner Ausca, she won't bite."

Lyra looked the the teenagers, "What exactly happened?"

The other teen boy, a messy haired boy with greenish hazel colored eyes, spoke, "We were just exploring of the market when Lilac started feeling off. We got lost and came here to see if it would help her."

"Ah," Lyra frowned, "Where are your parents or guardians?"

"We don't know," The bushy haired girl said making Lyra's frown deepen, "We went to check out some stalls after telling them that Lilac found one that interested her. When we went to find them, they weren't in the area,"

Lyra felt a burst of annoyance at how careless people could be. She knew they were English magicals. It was easy to see by their skin tone and the fact they were sweating so much. Clamping down on her annoyance, Lyra turned to Taylin, "How is she?"

"We should get her inside and out of the heat," Taylin said looking up at her, "If we do, I can help her better,"

Lyra hesitated before making a decision, "Do you know the name of your hotel?" They nodded looking surprised, "We'll take you to there and stay with you until the little one is in better condition."

"R-really?" The girl looked surprised while the boys seemed suspicious.

"Of course," Lyra smiled at them, "The only thing we ask in return is for you to tell us about England,"

They looked at one another before backing away to whisper to one another. Soon enough, they turned back to her and the boy that had explained the situation explained, "Alright."

"Come on then," Lyra said as Taylin carefully picked up the girl.

Lyra took her from him as Taylin went to adjust Ausca's saddle. The bushy haired girl looked surprised, "She's going to let someone else ride her?"

"Only the girl and the boy," Lyra answered as Taylin worked quickly, "Vesca do not harm children unless their mad. Young are precious to them,"

"What about us?" The black haired teen, who seemed familiar though she wasn't sure why, asked.

Taylin took the girl as Lyra replied, "You will walk. If we had more of our squad members with us, you would be able to ride with them. Sorry."

Soon enough, they set off and made their way to the residential district. The walk was quick with Lyra sending off a message telling the squad about what happened. The hotel the English magicals were currently staying in was one of the nicer ones. It, like the other buildings in the city, was built to allow dragons to come and go as they pleased. The Golden Hornet was fairly decent though it charged far more than it should. The owner wasn't someone any Mounted Guardian liked if only because of how greedy she was. The dragons were left outside in one of the grassy areas.

* * *

Lyra sat down after giving all of the teens and the young boy a glass of water. The young boy spoke with wide eyes, "Y-you're Lyra Silver."

"That I am," Lyra looked at the teens as they all jolted slightly at the news, "Now, Taylin should be finished helping your little sister out soon enough. Honestly, I can't believe how careless your parents could be especially in a city this hot. If you really want to explore, it's better to go around twilight hours or in the early hours of the day. The hours right before noon and after it are hot to anyone not use to them,"

"I don't think they expected it or really realized that after their meeting yesterday," The bushy haired girl said, "My names Hermione Granger. The ginger haired boy is Ronald Weasley though he prefers to go by Ron. The black haired boy is Christopher Potter though he prefers Chris. The messy haired red head with hazel eyes is Warren Potter. The black and red haired girl with pale green eyes is Lilac Potter,"

"A pleasure to meet you though I wish the circumstances were diffrent," Lyra replied taking a sip of her water, "I'm assuming you're somewhat aware of our apparent relation?" The black haired boy and his younger brother nodded, "I'm going to make one thing clear before we continue any conversation. I don't care about your parents. The only parent I've ever had was my mentor and she's the only one I accept. You two and our sister are the only ones I care about. I want to get to know you and try to connect," Lyra played with her water bottle, "To be honest, I don't know how good of a big sister I'll be to you especially since we'll probably have limited contact once the whole mess in England is taken care of,"

The room was silent for a few moments before Chris said, "That's all I ask. I'm sorry for-"

"Do not apologize for the transgressions of others, Chris," Lyra cut him off, "You were a baby back then and couldn't have done anything to stop them. I regret that we never got to form the bond that we could have, but I'm glad that they acted as they did. If not, I would probably not have met my mentor, my partner, or my family,"

"Family?" The ginger haired boy, Ron, asked.

"My squad is my pack, my family," Lyra told them earning a few nods, "I do have an adoptive little brother that lives at an orphanage," Lyra looked at Warren, "He's around your age. You're 11, right?"

"Yes," He looked surprised by her guess, "How'd you know?"

"It's one of the abilities you have as a Mounted Guardian, right?" Hermione asked with a eager eyes.

Lyra shook her head, "It's something our dragons can sense along with how our culture is. There's also the fact his magic has begun to settle, any one with enough training can sense it," Lyra leaned back against her chair, "To be honest, you all could start magical training sooner if you took the time to meditate."

Hermione went to say something only for Chris to say, "Hermione, stop. You can ask questions later," The bushy haired girl pouted a little, "So you wanted to learn about England, why?"

"Dumbledore is currently negotiating with King Vallian about a mission," Lyra answered since it would be common knowledge soon enough, "My squad is being given the mission which will be our first one as official Mounted Guardians. We want to prepare as much as possible. I was planning on finding some member of your group to get information,"

Chris grimaced, "I don't know how much we can help you. The adults don't give us much information if they can help it."

"Any information you give us will be helpful," Lyra replied with a small grimace.

If this was how they protected their children, Lyra was glad she'd been tossed away. While life could be rough, it was better to be well informed than left in the dark.

* * *

When the adults returned with a few guardsmen looking frantic, they all froze mid-step in shock at the sight before them. The teenagers had grown comfortable with the two Mounted Guardians especially after it became clear that the two didn't mind offering some stories. Lyra looked at the guardsmen and smiled slightly, "Squad Captain John, I wasn't aware you had returned to duty."

"Mounted Guardian Silver and Mounted Guardian Wyldfyr!" The guardsmen snapped to attention.

"At ease," Lyra said as she stood alongside Taylin, "Information?"

"We received a report that a group of children were missing, Ma'am!" The Squad Captain replied with a slight smile, "I assume you found them?"

"The youngest was suffering from heat exhaustion," Taylin answered with a frown, "Lord Potter, Lady Potter, are you aware of how dangerous it was for you to bring your daughter out at any time save for an hour before noon or at twilight? In the summer months, it's dangerous for anyone to be outside unless they have proper attire?" Both their faces colored making Taylin's frown deepen, "If Lyra's partner hadn't sensed trouble, it's very likely your daughter would've died. Thankfully, I was able to heal her though it will be at least two months if not longer for her to fully recover,"

James Potter flushed angerly as his wife paled and snarled, "What gives you the right to say something like that?"

"Taylin is a certified healer," Lyra answered before shaking her head, "It's time we leave," She turned to the teens and Warren, "It was a pleasure to spend time with you. If you need anything, you only have to come to the training grounds and ask for me or Taylin,"

"Thanks for taking care of Lilac," Chris said honestly earning two smiles.

Taylin nodded lightly, "I would be remiss in my duties as a healer if I didn't. Follow the directions I wrote down for you and she'll be alright."

"Lets go," Lyra said as the guards pushed the adults away from the door.

The guards followed after the Mounted Guardians with the squad captain walking beside Lyra and Taylin. He spoke as they walked, "So is it true your squad is staying together and being sent on your first mission soon?"

"Yup," Lyra looked at John with a smile, "It's been awhile, John. Your injuries heal fine?"

"Yes, Lyra," John replied as he smiled at her in return, "What about yours?"

"They're healing. Karth's taken to his prostheses really well," Lyra replied as they walked down the steps.

Squad Captain John Traci was one of those odd humans descended from some form of fey. The only things that showed his fey bloodline were his unique orange eyes and the fact he still looks like he's in his early twenties when he's over a ninety years old. He was one of her mentors former lovers and the only one that she'd had constant contact with even after her mentors death. He was one of her favorite tutors as he'd taught her how to use her favored shorts swords. He'd gotten hurt during that rather disastrous training trip though it was thanks to his efforts that the beast that had attacked them had been killed. John looked relieved at her words, "I'm glad. I actually thought we might've lost you both."

Lyra felt a stab of guilt, but pushed it down. She'd made her peace with what had happened. She decided to shift the conversation somewhere nicer, "Taylin's parents approved of our relationship and his father has given us his blessing."

John grinned at that looking relieved, "That's amazing news, what did it take?"

Lyra grimaced slightly, "I allowed him to enter my mind."

John's grin dropped into a frown, "Truly?"

"Yes. It was the only way to ensure he knew we were speaking the truth and that I didn't have Tay under some spell," Lyra reached towards Taylin's hand and squeezed it lightly when he linked their fingers, "While it was dangerous, I doubted the king would shred one of his Mounted Guardian's minds or hurt his son,"

Allowing someone into your mind was only done if you either trusted them or there was no other choice, it wasn't done casually. The fact Lyra allowed the king into her mind for any reason was shocking. The fact she would do it all over again if it meant being able to marry Taylin and have their relationship out in the open was even more shocking. John seemed to realize this fact and sighed, "I see. A calculated risk?"

"One that I will do all over again if I must," Lyra replied as Taylin squeezed her hand.

They reached the first floor and exited the hotel. Taylin spoke as they walked over to Ausca and Karth, "It's almost time for dinner and we aren't expected back at the training grounds for a few hours. Would you like to join us for dinner? The others should be heading to our favorite hang out."

"Sure though we will need to stop by the guard post so I can clock out," John agreed earning two nods of agreement.

* * *

"Calling us bad parents? What give-" James was saying after his parents had checked on Lilac.

Chris cut him off with a scowl, "They have every right!"

"Christopher James Potter, you do not ta-" Lily began only for Chris to cut her off.

"No!" Chris took a deep breath to calm himself down, "You don't get to boss me around! You abandon my older sister, lied to us for years about her, and when it finally comes out, you expect me to see you the same way? You two were so wrapped up in each other today that you didn't pay attention to Lilac," Chris glared at them as he moved towards his room, "As soon as we get back to England, I'm staying with Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus. I'm done,"

Chris closed his door behind him and laid his back against it as he pressed a hand to his forehead. Getting to meet the wonderful person that was his sister showed him just how much he'd missed out on, it left him frustrated beyond belief. Thinking back to the life he'd had before now, he could see moments when Sirius and Remus had tried to tell him about his sister. How cold they were towards his parents when they were supposedly best friends, the dates they absolutely refused to come near his parents, everything! Chris remembered how devastated they'd seemed two years before he began Hogwarts. Everything made sense now and he resolved himself to telling his sister about the two the next chance he got. She deserved to know that two of their parents' friends didn't agree with their decision.

A knock sounded on the door and his little brother's voice sounded, "Big Brother, can I come in?"

"Sure," Chris allowed him inside before shutting and locking it.

Thanks to their conversations with Lyra and Taylin, Chris knew he could use magic despite what his parents had said. Locking the door with the strongest charms possible, Chris headed to his bed and flopped down as Warren followed. Warren pressed into his side in a way the younger boy hadn't since he'd been five. Chris sighed deeply as Warren asked, "What are we going to do, Chris?"

Chris closed his eyes, "We do our best to spend time getting to know Lyra while we can."

"What if Mom and Dad won't let us?" Warren asked earning a snort from Chris.

Chris frowned as he said, "I'm not obeying them, Warren. I'm done being the obedient son. They lied to us for years and it's because of them, we never got to know our big sister. I'm not letting them take this new chance away from me. I refuse."

Warren was quiet for a few moments before asking, "Do you think Lyra will let us try bonding with a dragon?"

Chris jolted in surprise at the question, "You want to bond with a dragon?"

"I want to try," Warren said as Chris opened his eyes to look at him, "Getting to ride Ausca even if it was to help keep Lilac stable...Something about it felt right,"

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Chris asked in confusion.

Warren flushed lightly, "I...I was embarrassed and didn't want to miss the chance to get to know big sister better."

Understanding, Chris said, "Let's go to the training grounds tomorrow with Ron and Hermione. It shouldn't be too hard to sneak out. We'll talk to Lyra and see if she can't arrange something. According to Hermione's book, Mounted Guardians accept people until their older than seventeen with a few exceptions made for 18 and 19 year olds," Chris wrapped an arm around Warren, "You're old enough and I will admit seeing if I can bond with a dragon would be awesome!"

"Do you think we both might have a chance?" Warren asked him curiously.

Chris shrugged lightly, "I don't know, but we have to try."

Warren smiled brightly and hugged him, "Thank you, Big Brother. I...I'm glad things happened the way they did. Y-you're better now."

Chris' heart hurt at those words. He'd known that his rather selfish personality had hurt his siblings though it wasn't until he'd started Hogwarts that it'd gotten bad. Hugging Warren tighter, he murmured, "I'm so sorry for how I acted. I'll do better. I promise you."

"I know, Big Brother," Warren nuzzled into him, "I know,"

Chris vowed that he would make it up to his siblings. He would never be that selfish and immature idiot he'd been before. His siblings deserved better than that, he needed to be better than that foolish brat he'd been. He would be better. Lyra deserved a younger brother that wasn't a selfish and big headed brat.

* * *

Lyra was looking over her blades for any sort of damage when a knock sounded on the door. Standing up after putting down her blades, she stood up and walked over to the door to her room, "Yes?"

"Sergeant Silver," A teenage bird shifter with swallow colored hair spoke, "A group of three teenagers and a child around bonding age is here. They said that they knew you,"

"Did one of them have black hair and greenish hazel eyes?" Lyra asked earning a nod, "I know them. Please lead them here,"

"Yes, ma'am," The messenger bowed lightly and took off.

Lyra returned to her former seat leaning against Karth as Malcom asked, "Does that mean we're going to be meeting your siblings?"

"Two of them," Lyra clarified as a boom sounded, "Could you gather the others?"

"Yes, Alpha," Malcom agreed easily.

The training ground felt kind of empty since Evan and Taylin were absent at the moment. Tess was being seen to by the healers while Taylin was gathering more supplies and getting some last minute lessons in. While Taylin was a competent healer, he continued to learn as much as possible especially after that disastrous training mission. He had taken the fact that there wasn't much he could do to help Karth and Lyra other than minor things to keep them from dying rather hard. Most of the time, Lyra and the others had to drag him away from his studies whenever they weren't being trained into the ground by their teachers. Shaking her head, Lyra focused on her blades and found a few minor problems that could be taken care of by a quick trip to the blacksmiths.

* * *

Chris felt a bit nervous as they were led through the ancient halls of the Mounted Guardians training ground. It wasn't the oldest in the Sven kingdom, but it was fairly close. They passed Mounted Guardian trainees and their dragons as the shifter leading them spoke, "Sergeant Silver and a majority of her squad are currently in one of the training grounds."

"I didn't know we were allowed into those," Hermione said earning a laugh from the shifter.

"Under normal circumstances you would not be," The shifter looked at them with a smile, "However, Sergeant Silver and her squad have become full Mounted Guardians. As a result, they're allowed certain liberties. I will warn you that speaking of anything you might see within their training ground is ill-advised,"

Chris shivered slightly at the dark tone and promised himself to never find out why. Hermione was barely restraining herself from asking the torrent of questions she no doubt had about the training facility they were in. Ron and Warren were looking around themselves in awe though the ginger haired boy was rather pale as they came close to the dragons walking around. Chris had to grab Warren a few times to pull him out of the way of a passing dragon because the younger boy was staring at a diffrent one. He couldn't blame the kid since some of the dragons were rather unique looking.

The shifter paused in front of a rather large looking door with a neon green crystal eight. Chris looked at the shifter in confusion, "Is something wrong?"

"No," The shifter pointed towards the crystal, "The crystal is neon green which means something dangerous is going inside. Once the glow turns to a dimmer green, we can enter,"

Soon enough, the crystal turned grass green and the shifter opened the door. Chris walked inside with the others and found himself in a rather rocky area. Large rocks gutted upwards in many places while there were a few large expanses of smooth ground. Pillars of smooth grey stone held up large rock beams. Everywhere he looked, the stones were marked with signs of either elemental attacks, claw marks, or dents. He turned his head towards the side as Lyra's voice sounded, "Thank you for bringing them here, Messenger."

"It's no problem, Sergeant Silver," The shifter replied before saluting and disappearing.

Lyra turned to them as her dragon raised his head, "Before we get to why you're here, let me introduce you to some of my squad. The only ones not here are Evan, Evan's partner Tess, Taylin, and Ausca."

"Sure," Chris said as it would give him time to put his request to words.

Lyra turned to Karth, "Mind calling everyone?" The dragon yawned before standing up, "You guys might want to plug your ears."

"Wh-" Chris barely managed to get that out before Karth let out a booming call that sounded like two huge boulders slamming together mixed with a shrill shrieking sound.

Chris clapped his hands over his ears as his bones rattled from the sound. When Karth stopped, Chris uncovered his ears and offered his sister a glare. She smiled sheepishly, "I did give you a warning."

"Not enough of one," Chris' head hurt.

Lyra let out a soft laugh and moved towards where Karth had been laying. She reached into a bag that he hadn't noticed before and pulled out a few vials. She walked back over and handed them out, "Take these, they should help with the effects. They should also help if Striker decides to use her echolocation."

"Echolocation?" Hermione asked looking surprised, "Dragons can use that?"

"Certain vesca can though some have the ability to learn if they have keen enough hearing," Lyra walked back over to Karth as the dragon laid down again and rubbed underneath what looked like a ridge of sharp scales earning a low groan, "Thank you, Karth. I know that I sent Malcom to get them, but sometimes he's a bit of an air head,"

* * *

Everyone appeared soon enough and Lyra made introductions before asking, "So, what brings you here today?"

"Warren brought up something last night after you left," Chris told her after they'd all taken their seats.

"Oh?" Lyra looked at her youngest brother curiously.

Chris turned to his younger brother and waved a hand, "Try to explain it to them."

Warren flushed slightly at the attention he was under, but managed to gather himself, "W-when I was on Ausca's back, I felt...It felt right. It felt like I was supposed to be there."

Lyra's eyes widened and she felt a bit of astonishment, "Really?"

Warren nodded making the Mounted Guardians look at one another. While it was true that some families had an ingrained ability to bond with dragons, it was rare that any human families had that trait. More than likely, only one human per family outside of those with two Mounted Guardians had the ability to bond with a dragon. Considering how many Mounted Guardians there were and how many humans were among them, it made it even rarer. The news that Warren felt right riding Ausca was startling, but she felt a bit happy. If Warren managed to bond with a dragon, she would actually be able to see him fairly often. Chris spoke breaking her from her thoughts, "How hard would it be for us to be tested to see if we could bond with dragons?"

Lyra bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. The next bonding festival would be in a few days which was one of the other reasons the royal family were here. It was a way to meet the next generation of Mounted Guardians and to provide some form of moral boost. It was a tradition that had stuck throughout the centuries since the first bonding occurred. If she sent a message now, she could have this group added to the 30 already signed up to bond with a dragon. Nodding to herself, Lyra said, "I'll need to send a message, but it shouldn't be too hard to arrange. In fact, it's actually a good thing you're asking. We only have thirty perspectives this year which is rather low compared to the hundred that we usually have."

"How come?" Hermione asked with a curious expression.

"This is actually something that's expected," Cain said as he carefully cleaned and trimmed West's claws, "Given how the last harvest went and the fact that winter was harsher than usual, the number of children surviving would be smaller even with the royal family and nobles providing assistance. Adding in the fact that some shifter clans had low birth rates around ten years ago plus the rather small amount of mountain fey that deign to even try bonding, you have some hits. The pack wars were fairly intense ten years back as well," Cain finished and glanced at Hermione as moved to begin rubbing some special oils into West's scales to keep them from drying out too badly, "Other than that, there are the usual cases of people either being too sick, too poor, or even some just not wanting to bond with a dragon,"

"How come someone wouldn't want to bond with a dragon?" Warren asked with confusion written across his face.

Lyra sighed deeply, "A portion of people within the kingdoms do not like dragons or the bonds we have with them. They will happily kill us if given a chance," Disgust rushed through her as she recalled some particularly bad memories of people like that, "While not a very large portion, they exist. Other than that, bonding with a dragon is a life changing experience that some people fear. Being so intimately connected with a creature is a daunting prospect, it's also a dangerous one. Sometimes the dragon won't react well when you connect and it will go mad. Sometimes, the person bonding to the dragon doesn't have the right type of magic and it can kill both of the bonding pair. If one of you dies, you both do."

The teens and one boy looked startled at the prospects. Warren looked a little pale, "But there's a reason you bond regardless of the risks, right?"

"Oh yes," Lyra smiled as she laid a hand on Karth's head and closed her eyes, "Being connected to our partner is a blessing. To know that there's always someone watching your back, loves you unconditionally, understands you in ways no one else can, it's breathtaking. Not having Karth within my life isn't an option if it ever was,"

"Granted, taking care of our partners isn't easy," Malcom added as he rubbed Striker's nose, "In fact, it can be horribly expensive. Being Mounted Guardians allows us to care for them and keep them healthy,"

"It's worth it," Tsuki said with a grin, "Totally worth it,"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Here's the next chapter of Mounted Guardian. I really debated what would happen in this chapter, but finally, I managed to make a decision. Tell me what you think.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Jostanos:** **You'll just have to see, but I will say this: Lilac is too young.**

 **Warriors of skyrim: Here you are.**

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

"You did what?!" Chris tried not to flinch at the sheer volume his father managed to reach with that shout, "Are you out of your minds?! Do you know what this could do to our repu-"

"You mean your reputation," Chris cut in feeling Warren flinch against his back.

James Potter snarled at his son, "You're not doing it and neither is your brother."

"Lyra already made arrangements," Chris felt smug as he watched his father pale a bit, "We can't leave the city and Lyra will be coming to get us," Chris felt Warren tighten his grip on the back of his t-shirt, "Not to mention, it isn't your choice. The laws state that parental permission isn't required,"

"Boys, don't you know what those dragons could do to you?" Lily asked earning a scoff from Chris.

Sometimes, he really resented his parents for acting like he was a still a six year old, "What? Kill us? Vesca aren't normal dragons."

Dumbledore spoke from his place by the door, "And what exactly is going on?"

"The children decided to take part in the bonding festival," Molly answered earning a surprised look from Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at each of them and Chris glared at the old man. Eventually, Dumbledore sighed, "Then there is nothing we can do. If they've already been signed up, they have to participate or risk facing consequences."

"Surely there's a way to get them out of it," James said with a glare directed towards his eldest son.

"Unless it was unwilling on their parts, we can not get them out of it," Dumbledore stared at Chris, "I assume all of you were willing?"

"Of course," Chris scoffed at the idea of being forced into anything, "Lyra made damn sure of that before she set everything up,"

"Then there is nothing we can do," Dumbledore shook his head, "On a lighter note, I've managed to finish negotiations with the King. All we must do now is make arrangements for the six Mounted Guardians and their bonded partners,"

"Headmaster," Lily looked at the aged headmaster, "What if one of my babies bonds with a dragon?"

"They will be staying within the city to go through Mounted Guardian training," Dumbledore informed her earning a devastated look, "Even I cannot do anything to stop this, the magics within Delllea and the fey kingdoms are far more ancient than even that of Hogwarts. There is noting we can do, I am sorry Lily,"

Lily started crying and Chris felt a bit of guilt for causing them. It wouldn't change the fact that they were going through with this, but that didn't mean he didn't feel responsible for the tears. Chris pulled Warren into their room and shut the door behind them. Warren looked up at him, "Chris, we made mom cry."

"I know," Chris ran a hand through his hair, "But this is for the best. Mom and dad need to learn that they can't control us. If you find a vesca to bond with, you'll be safe,"

"What about you?" Warren asked looking a bit scared, "What if you don't bond with one?"

"If I don't, then I don't," Chris set his hands on Warren's shoulders and looked into his brother's eyes, "No matter what happens, you're my little brother and I'll do everything in my power to stay in contact. I'll make sure Lilac does too. We're family and nothing will ever change that. Lyra will look after you as well,"

Warren blinked as his eye gained a misty look to them, "Promise?"

"Promise," Chris pulled him into a hug, "No matter what,"

Warren hugged him with more strength than Chris would've thought his younger brother had.

* * *

Lyra looked over the mission paper work she'd just been given alongside the rest of her squad. It seemed like it would be simple whereas in actuality, it would be very complex:

 **Mission Over View:**

 _Mission: Terminate 'Dark Lord Voldemort' and his followers._

 _Location: English Magical Territories._

 _Proposed Time Limit: 1 year (Increased time limit depending on reports)_

 _Squad leader: Sergeant Lyra Silver._

It all boiled down to taking out the 'Death Eaters' and 'Dark Lord' within a year. Given that there were Horcurx's involved, they would need that entire year maybe a little bit more to ensure that they destroyed every single one of them especially if he made as many as Dumbledore had suggested. Dumbledore had apparently mentioned that she might be one, but that didn't matter even if the thought was disgusting. One good thing about bonding with vesca was that any taint within their bodies was expelled along with any physical imperfections. She would say it dealt with mental imperfections, but given the rather vast amount of bat-shit crazy Mounted Guardians, it clearly didn't take away those imperfections. Considering the fact that she had to wear glasses before bonding with Karth, she could attest to physical imperfections being taken care of. Of course, scars and the like gained after the bonding would stay, but magic couldn't do everything. Lyra cleared those thoughts away and looked over her squad, "Given the information we've been given, I will say this. We'll be putting every second of the year we've been given to good use. Whether we're fighting death eaters, tracking down soul pieces, or simply gathering information, we will use every single second. We will also continue training. Any questions?"

"It says our base of operations will be at Hogwarts, but isn't that a school?" Tsuki asked earning a nod from Lyra, "How the hell are we supposed to do our job if we're going to be dealing with children?"

"Dumbledore decided that our cover would be to educate the children on what Mounted Guardians and our partners really are," Lyra said as she looked over the notes on their cover story, "At the very least, two of us will be always be at Hogwarts alongside our dragons to both keep watch and to do the educating. Everyone will take part,"

"Do you think we might find any potentials?" Malcom voiced the question that had likely been on all their minds since her siblings visit.

Lyra bit her bottom lip and thought about it. If they did find any potentials, it would be either a good thing or a bad thing. The good thing would be an increase in Mounted Guardians. The bad thing would be outsiders gaining information and likely passing it to those that didn't need to know it. Spies were rather common though very few came from outside of Delllea's boarders. Lyra spoke, "I will ask the King when he summons me once more. It is very likely that if we do find potentials, they will either be left alone or brought back with us once our mission is done. If they do get brought back, they will be forced to make an unbreakable vow even harsher than the one we had to give."

Mounted Guardians take their secrets seriously. Even her siblings and Chris' friends didn't get more information than the public did. The only ones who were given any information about the Mounted Guardians without being a Mounted Guardian were the king and queen. They were the only two members of the royal family given any real information about the Mounted Guardians and they had to vow that they would only pass it down to the next king. Only after the next king had taken the crown would the information be revealed. Even then, the king had to prove himself worthy of the information. If not, the Mounted Guardians had every right to refuse their services. In the entire history of the Sven kingdom, it had only happened a total of 8 times. The most recent had been King Vallian's grandfather. Cain spoke as everyone absorbed her words, "What about your siblings?"

"I don't know," Lyra admitted while looking at Taylin, "Tay?"

Taylin frowned deeply, "I am unsure. If it's Chris, he could very well be forced to do what you said, but Warren...I can't be sure. He's young, but even five year olds could be spies."

It was rare, but children had been used as spies before. Lyra shook her head, "What happens will happen. We can do nothing about the future when it is too uncertain. Now, shall we continue?"

"What information do we give them?" Evan asked with narrowed eyes.

"Only what is told to the public and a proper education on vesca," Lyra answered earning a few nods, "Other than that, we'll tell them about the kingdoms and the customs of the various peoples that inhabit them,"

"So basic shit?" Tsuki asked earning snorts, "I think we can do that easily, but I don't really want to deal with snobbish little brats,"

"Me neither, but we'll have to deal," Lyra replied while setting down the reports, "Any other questions?" No one spoke up, "Good. Continue looking over the information and get ready. We have a week and a half before we're going to be traveling to England,"

Everyone nodded and headed off save for Taylin. Taylin spoke as they left the briefing room together, "So we're taking Mother to the orphanage soon, right?"

"Yup," Lyra linked their hands earning a smile from Taylin, "We just got to get Karth and Ausca ready. Did she say how she was going to keep up with us?"

"Apparently one of the Matrons doesn't mind her riding them," Taylin answered making her stumble slightly and he paused to help steady her, "I was surprised to,"

"A Matron is letting a none bonded ride her," Lyra whispered softly.

Even if it was Queen Saya, Matrons did not let anyone ride them unless they were bonded to a vesca. Even then, the female dragons only let their own riders ride them. Considering how violent they could get, not even a suicidal idiot would try it. Matrons were far worse than any nesting dragon that the continents had. Then again, they were the ones that took care of the young dragons and kept the violent males and any scavengers from trying to kill the hatchlings. They had every right be as violent as they wanted to be. So the fact Queen Saya was being allowed to ride a Matron of all vesca said many things about the queen. Taylin spoke before she could as the question that she was about to ask, "No, she isn't bonded to the Matron. I honestly don't know how this is possible nor is Mother saying anything."

* * *

Taylin helped her onto Karth's back as her side was still bothering her a bit. It was healing faster than before, but she wasn't at the level of healing where she could get on Karth without help just yet. Karth was patient and kept himself stiller than he ever had before which told her that even her partner was being careful about her health. It was both endearing and a little frustrating. Once she was all buckled up, Taylin got on Ausca and they headed towards the gates where the Queen would meet them. Queen Saya greeted them with a smile from atop a rather large fire born vesca. The Matron's scales had more red to them and the colors were deeper than Karth's. Other than that, she looked like a female version of Karth. Considering the soft trilling sound leaving her partner's throat and the surprise she could feel coming from him, she knew that this particular Matron was Karth's mother.

The Matron eyed Karth and trilled in return as she trotted towards the younger dragon. The two scented one another before Karth rubbed his head underneath the Matron's chin and let out a keening trill. The Matron made a deep barking sound and licked Karth's cheek before nuzzling him. The two pulled away as Karth's tail wagged and Lyra asked, "How did you manage to find Karth's mother?"

Vesca, bonded vesca especially, rarely met their dame or sire after leaving the nest for the last time. If they ever tried to return, the Matron would either have made her nest somewhere else or the vesca would not be able to find it. Seeing the reunion made Lyra feel happy for her partner, fire born vesca felt the lack of their dame's almost as keenly as the pack-like forest born vesca. Queen Saya smiled at her, "Ember is an old friend of mine and was happy to let me ride her in exchange for being able to spend time with her son."

Karth backed up a bit and barked at his mother. His mother, Ember, looked at Lyra closely for awhile prompting the human to smile at the Matron. She was a bit nervous, but this was Karth's mother, she didn't think the Matron would hurt her. Finally, Ember snorted and nudged her lightly before moving away. Soon enough, they set off and headed towards the Orphanage. They had sent word ahead and Carter stood waiting nervously in near the gates. Lyra smiled at Carter as Taylin got off of Ausca and walked over to the boy, "Hey, Carter. Ready to have a bit of fun?"

"Y-yeah," Carter's eyes were glued to the queen who smiled warmly at the boy.

Carter was led over to Lyra and Karth before Taylin helped the boy get into the seat in front of Lyra. Lyra had him lean back against her chest just like she used to sit with her mentor and carefully secured him to the saddle before allowing Taylin to return to Ausca. They headed off with Carter relaxing as they rode through the city. Lyra spoke as they moved, "Are you excited for the bonding festival?"

Carter nodded as he looked around himself in awe, "I never realized how amazing it was to see things from here."

"It is nice," Lyra would never be able to stand using the thought of using cars or any motor-vehicle when she had Karth, "I don't know if anyone mentioned it, buy my Squad and I got pulled for a mission,"

"Oh?" Carter twisted around to look at her.

"Yeah," She could see the worry in his eyes, "We leave in a week and a half. We'll be gone for a year or so," Carter's eyes shown with disappointment, "But, I need you to do something for me," He looked a bit confused, "I recently found out that I do have family. Two younger brothers and a younger sister along with a pair of parents that don't like me. I'm a bastard," Carter's eyes widen and she could see that he didn't know how to react, "One of them is likely going to be bonding with a vesca. I need you to watch over him,"

"I think I can do that," Carter looked a bit lost.

Lyra hugged him lightly, "This doesn't mean you're any less than my little brother. You're as much of a little brother to me as they are. But family needs to look out for family..."

"And you need me to watch over the brother that's likely to bond with a vesca because you're worried about him," Carter said earning a nod, "You also want us to get to know one another too," Lyra smiled as she nodded again, "I don't mind,"

"The one I'm talking about is around your age maybe a bit older," Lyra told him as they started going up a small rocky path that would lead to one of the secluded areas on the mountain, "I'm not saying you have to like him, but try to get along and be nice. Try to help him understand our country and stuff,"

"I can do that," Carter smiled at her, "Is he nice?"

"I haven't had much time to get to know him, but he seems like a nice person. He's a bit shy," Lyra thought about Warren, "Having friends in a new place will definitely help him,"

"I'll try my best," Carter assured her.

"I know you will," Lyra pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Now, want to see what it's like riding a running dragon?"

Carter nodded and Lyra tapped Karth's scales twice causing him to bark. He sped up quickly earning surprised looks from her companion and she said, "Race you!"

* * *

Music, the scent of cooking food, laughter, and the calls of dragons echoed filled the air. The entire city of Nessium was already awake when the sun began to rise. The bonding festival was one of the largest celebrations within Delllea and with good reason. New Mounted Guardians potentials were found and vesca were given the chance to find their partners. Adding on, it was also the day that many lovers wed if they decided to bind themselves together. It was a day when royal, noble, and commoner could freely mingle without being judged. Lyra and her squad made their way through the festival goers towards her siblings' hotel. Even with dawn just breaking, they had to work quickly or it would take hours to get everyone to the meeting grounds where vesca and partner would be bound together.

Finally breaking through the thick crowds, they got off their dragons and headed into the hotel. Lyra and Taylin led the way to Chris' room. Knocking on the door, they barely had to wait more than a minute before it was opened. Dumbledore greeted them, "I assume you're hear for young Christopher and the others?"

"Yes and it is imperative that we hurry," Lyra told the old man, "We do not have much time before the crowds get so thick that even a Giant couldn't walk through them,"

Chris and the others were awake though each looked about ready to fall asleep. James Potter and the rest of the adults were up as well. James looked ready to throttle Lyra though she couldn't bring herself to care. Taylin smiled at everyone deciding to take the high road, "Good morning everyone! If Chris and the others could follow us, we need to get going."

"Aren't we supposed to go with them?" Lily asked earning a few snorts.

Lyra sent her squad a glare to silence them as Taylin answered, "No. The meeting grounds are not allowed to be accessed by anyone save for Mounted Guardians and those that will be attempting to bond with a vesca. It's a sacred right after all. You will be brought to the arena at sunset to see them."

"Sunset?" A plump ginger haired woman that looked like Ron gasped, "Why so long?"

"It's to give the potentials enough time to hopefully find their vesca and allow those that do find their vesca to bond with their partner in relative solitude," Taylin answered earning concerned looks, "Do not worry, they will not be hurt so long as they're respectful. Every potential is given rules to follow and so long as they do so, they'll be fine,"

Lyra cleared her throat before anyone could say anything else, "We need to go."

"Right," Taylin smiled warmly at the potentials, "Come along, we must be going. Everyone else, please enjoy the festivities,"

They left quickly and made it down to the dragons. Warren rode with Taylin while Chris rode with Lyra. Hermione and Ron rode with Malcom and Evan. They headed off immediately and Chris asked, "So what do I need to expect?"

"There are going to be a lot of vesca," Lyra answered as they moved through the crowds, "Even if many of them won't find partners, they'll still show up as this is a big deal for them just as it is for us. You'll probably see some Matrons which are mother dragons. They're pretty much alpha females. You'll see a lot of young vesca that are barely a year old, but don't try to approach them. They may approach you, but it's unlikely they'll bond with anyone,"

"How come?" Chris glanced back at her as Karth smoothly waded through the crowds.

"Vesca only reach adolescence, when they can bond with someone and leave the nest, at age five," Lyra explained as she carefully kept an eye on the crowds, "It is also only then that they can be ridden as they're either too small or too weak to hold a rider. Other than that, I cannot say. Of course, you might end up bonding with one of the wyverns. They're as intelligent as the vesca, but not as magically strong. Many of those attendants you've probably saw when coming to meet us a few days back are bound to wyverns,"

"But they're still good to be bound to, right?" Chris looked a bit worried when she glanced at him.

"Yes. I don't know much about the training you'll be put through if you end up bound to a wyvern, but I do know this," Lyra looked at him seriously, "It is a great gift that cannot be squandered. Whether bound to a vesca or a wyvern, they're an extension of yourself just as you're an extension of them. Treat them right and they'll be the most amazing companion you could ever have. Treat them horribly and die," Lyra felt him shiver against her and inwardly sighed, "I do not mean to scare you, but you need to understand what I'm saying. This is not something you can ever take back,"

"I know," Chris' voice was soft enough that she had to lean close to him to hear what he was saying over the thickening crowds, "And I want to be bound to one of them. I don't care what my partner is. If it helps me change from the person I used to be then I'll do anything,"

Lyra's brows furrowed at those words, "What do you mean?"

"I was a spoiled brat, Lyra," Chris replied looking shameful, "I let the fame get to my head. I can't blame everything on our parents, but I know they played a part in what I became. I want to be better,"

Lyra felt proud of her brother for both admitting his faults and wanting to be better. She hugged him lightly, "Even if you don't find a partner this time, I'll do what I can to help you."

"Thank you," Chris murmured softly as he leaned back against her.

Soon enough, they reached the gate to the meeting ground and the sound of the dragons behind it was deafening. It brought back memories of her first time there and she pressed a hand to Karth's warm scales feeling comforting warmth fill her. It was like coming home after years away. Karth let out a trilling call echoing the sentiment as did every other vesca in their group. Every one from her squad looked at one another and grinned showing that they too felt the same. The black steel gates slowly opened revealing a rocky path and Lyra told her brother, "Welcome to the meeting grounds, Christopher James Potter. May you find the other half of your soul."

* * *

Lyra's words echoed in his mind as he looked around himself. The meeting grounds was a dense jungle of stone spires, ridges, trees, and vents that leaked black clouds. He forced himself to stay calm and began to walk around. Each potential had been dropped off at diffrent points within the meeting grounds with a few simple rules and being told good luck. He ran the rules through his mind:

 _1) Do not approach any vesca or wyvern near Matrons._

 _2) Do not piss of any Matrons or vesca._

 _3) Do not insult any vesca._

 _4) Be polite._

 _5) Do not get injured._

It was a simple list of five rules that shouldn't be too hard to follow. He wondered where his friends or younger brother were before pushing those thoughts from his mind. If he got distracted, he could die and that was a big no no. He stiffened as he heard a low growl from nearby and turned slowly towards the source. He found his eyes widening at the sight of the wyvern staring at him from its perch on top of one of the ridges.

Its body was bronze colored with soft golden ring-like markings around its muzzle and neck. Ram horns arched out of its head and curled forward like one of those Spanish bulls. Needle sharp fangs that reminded him of the basilisks glinted in the light as its beak-like muzzle opened up. Its large wings tipped with huge wing claws were covered in shimmering scales that glowed slightly in the warm sunlight. A long whip like tail extended from its rear and was tipped with deadly looking black barbs that reminded him of the Horntail's only longer. Eyes of molten gold and obsidian slits stared at him as the wyvern sniffed.

Something within Chris relaxed as the wyvern released a trilling sound that reminded him of Fawkes the phoenix. He slowly began to approach and held out his hand towards the beautiful creature before him. The wyvern slowly climbed down from its perch and stared at him it got closer. Soon enough, Chris could feel the warm breath drifting from its nose and smiled as he let the wyvern sniff his fingers. Eventually, it fully extended its head and allowed him to touch the scales of its nose. A jolt of warmth slid through his palm and up his arm before coiling inside of his chest. Sheer joy rushed through his veins as the feeling of something that he hadn't even known was missing clicked into place. The odd feeling of alien emotions mixing him was going to take getting used to, but he could feel his wyvern's, his partner's, own joy mix with his. He felt tears run down his cheeks as he stared into its eyes and knew without a doubt that it would accept him no matter what. A shout left him and was mixed with a roar from his wyvern as the joy became too much.

* * *

Everything within Warren's veins seemed to sing as he walked across the barren wasteland. The feeling of finally belonging filled him as he looked around. Even if he wouldn't find his partner today, he had found a place he belonged. He paused as he heard what sounded like heavy wing beats echo through the air and looked up to see a black blur heading right towards him. Instead of moving, he stayed right where he was as the little voice inside his head began singing in joy. The blur slowed to a stop before him as a heavy body landed on the ground. Warren's eyes met the bright sky blue of the vesca in front of him and joy rang through his veins.

The vesca's body was covered in a multi-colored blend of scales and feathers. Rich purples, dark royal blues, the blackest of blacks, and the darkest of greens blended together throughout its body. The obsidian scale covered muzzle parted to reveal jagged teeth ready to rip apart anything that entered its muzzle. A beautiful mane of feathers ran from the crest of its head down to the base of its neck and covered its chest. They were a mixture of dark blues and purples with the edges dyed dark emerald green. Its massive wings were edged in blacks and dark purples with dark green flecked royal blues taking up the center. The only light colors were its silver tipped bone white claws and glistening teeth.

Warren moved towards the vesca as it did the same. They met in the middle with his arms curling as best as they could around its neck. The feeling of belonging filled his veins as his magic and the magic of the vesca coiled together. Foreign magic ran through his veins, it was a struggle to stay still as sharp pain ran through him. The little voice in his head whispered that he had to hold on for a little bit and then he'd be whole. When the magic reached his heart and magical core, he felt his soul rejoice and the foreign magic mix thickly with his own. Warmth that he'd never felt before filled him to the brim, he felt himself tighten his grip around his vesca's neck. Its neck curl around him as a rumbling purr left its chest. He'd found that which he had been searching for since he was born.

* * *

Lyra leaned against Taylin feeling nervous as they waited for the newly bonded and non-bonded potentials to be collected. It was hard to stand still without knowing whether her brothers had been chosen or not. Taylin tightened his grip on her, "You need to relax, Ly. They're fine."

"I know, but the waiting is killing me," Lyra would admit that she could be impatient a lot.

In fact, the only time she wasn't impatient was inside the forges. Working with metals and creating things always made her feel relaxed even though a single mistake could ruin a whole project. Even when meeting the royals, she'd felt impatience though she had hidden it well. Patience was difficult for her in situations like this and Taylin knew that. For some reason, he found it adorable though she couldn't figure out why. Taylin nuzzled into her neck and pressed a kiss to the spot just beneath her ears, "I could help you relax, you know."

Lyra's cheeks burned a bit as his fingers slowly began to undo her belt buckle and his tongue flicked out to taste her skin. She shivered as warmth began to fill her lower belly and she murmured, "Tay, we can't do that in public."

"No one would know," Taylin murmured against her neck as he undid her belt buckle and began to slip his hands beneath her clothes.

Lyra's eyes drifted closed as his hands squeezed her hips and he began sucking at the skin beneath his lips. Just as his hands began to drift to places they should never go in public, the comm units they all wore crackled to life and the main squad leader in charge of collecting everyone came through, "We got them."

Lyra's eyes opened as she began to pull away only for one of his hands to press where it shouldn't be. When his fingers wiggled, a soft moan slipped out of her mouth and Taylin whispered, "Tonight, you're all mine."

He removed his fingers which glistened slightly and stuck them into his mouth causing Lyra's blush to deepen. He smirked at her as she retied her belt and she growled, "Seriously, Tay?"

"Of course, Ly," Taylin grinned at her and didn't even flinch when she hit him, "I can't help myself when I have you practically alone,"

Lyra rolled her eyes and walked over to where Karth was curled up with Ausca.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the arena, Lyra went looking for Chris, Warren, Carter, Hermione, and Ron. When she found them, Lyra couldn't help but grin wildly. Chris had a female wyvern. Warren had a male winged shadow born. Carter had a female forest born vesca. Ron and Hermione both had wyverns which were a mated pair.

Carter's partner had egg shell white scales with lime green and pale grey accents. Pale silver eyes gazed at their newly found partner with contentment and love. Ron's wyvern had dull blue scales and he matching eyes. Hermione's wyvern had soft grey and brown scales with bright purple eyes that glowed slightly in the light. Lyra approached them with a grin, "Nicely done all of you."

"Lyra!" Carter rushed over to her with a bright grin, "I have a partner!"

"I can see that," Lyra hugged him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, "She's beautiful. I look forward to see how you two work together. Have you decided on a name yet?"

Carter nodded as his partner trotted over, "Her name is Luka. Luka this is my adoptive big sister Lyra Silver and her partner Karth."

Luka sniffed at her before focusing on Karth. The two eyed one another before Karth moved forward and butted his head against Luka's letting out a trilling sound. Smiling at the interaction, Lyra looked at Carter, "So you've met my brothers and their friends."

Carter nodded and walked over to the staring group tugging Lyra along. Lyra allowed it with a light smile and took a closer look at the four. Chris and Warren were looking between them in shock while their partners focused on Karth. The wyverns looked ready to run though no one could blame them. Many vesca preyed upon unbound wyverns especially during the summers when the youngest lesser drakes started leaving their nests. Based on the thin scales coating their wing joints and the pinkie tip sized scales, they were at least two if not three years old. Not quite the youngest, but definitely younger than most would prefer when it came to bonding. The tips of their wing claws weren't even big enough to do much damage lending to her thoughts on their age. Seeing the mated pair was a surprise since most tended to avoid coming to the meeting grounds around this time of year since most didn't want to be bound after finding their mates. Chris shook his head and asked, "You two know each other?"

"Carter is my adoptive little brother," Lyra explained setting her hand on the ten year old hybrid's shoulder, "He lives at the orphanage that I lived in until my mentor adopted me,"

"Oh," Chris looked at bit hurt.

"I was planning on introducing you during your time here after meeting with you, but we haven't had the time," Lyra explained as she squeezed Carter's shoulder lightly before moving over to her brothers, "As far as I'm concerned, you're all my siblings and that's all that matters,"

Chris relaxed a little, "Cool."

Lyra smiled lightly, "I'm really happy that you guys have found your partners. Ron and Hermione are especially lucky as mated pairs do not often come to the meeting grounds at this time of year. Most do not feel the need after they've found their mates."

"They're a mated pair?!" Hermione looked excited, "How do you know?"

Lyra looked at the two wyverns and approached, "Would you mind if I touch you? I just want to physically show them what I'm talking about," The wyverns nodded before Lyra moved towards the female and carefully touched the area between her right shoulder and neck, "See this area here?"

Hermione walked over and took a close look at it, "It almost looks like two teeth are lodged into her scales not to mention a lot of scarring."

Lyra tapped the female's mouth prompting the wyvern to open it revealing two imperfect rows of teeth, "See those gaps?"

"Yeah," Hermione nodded examining her wyverns teeth.

Lyra did the same to the male to show that he had matching marks and missing teeth as well, "See? The two teeth are what's known as mating teeth. They grow in during the second year of a wyverns life when they finally reach adolescence and their reproductive organs fully form. Once they find their life mate, they go through their first mating and claim their mate. The mating teeth will lodge themselves into the mating mark and stay there. They will constantly produce the mates scent thus showing that they're claimed," Lyra walked over to Chris' wyvern and tapped against her muzzle, "See her teeth?" Two perfect rows of teeth, "She has her mating teeth and doesn't have any scars showing that she hasn't found a mate."

"Wow," Hermione and the other looked at the wyverns with surprise.

"Looking at the scarring, I can say they've probably been mated for around two months if not a month more," Lyra backed away from the wyverns, "All three are between two to three years of age,"

"What about Jasper?" Warren asked earning a nod from Carter.

Lyra walked over to Jasper and hummed softly, "Somewhere around six years old though the routine healers check will give you a true estimate," Lyra moved over to Luka and eyed the female vesca, "I'd say the same age as Jasper if not a bit older. I can't say for sure since I only know how to tell the ages of fire born vesca and desert born."

"What do you mean by born?" Hermione asked.

Seeing as they were now bound to some kind of drake and would be a part of the corps even if they weren't actual Mounted Guardians, Lyra had no problem answering, "Part of it deals with where they're born, part of it deals with who their parents were, and part of it deals with their elemental alignment. Karth is a fire born vesca though he could also be considered a volcano born. Karth's parents were both fire born though I can't be too sure what Karth's father was other than his elemental alignment due to the fact most male vesca don't spend time near the hatchlings especially if they're wild. Karth was born at the nearby volcano."

Karth nudged her letting out a soft woofing sound prompting her to scratch his favorite spot. Warren spoke softly, "What happens now?"

"I'm not sure what will happen to Chris, Hermione, and Ron," Lyra answered truthfully, "But Carter and you will be inducted into the Mounted Guardian training program. What I do know is that nothing will ever be the same for any of you again and it's unlikely you'll be going back to England,"

"What about Lilac?" Chris asked looking guilty, "We can't leave her alone,"

"i don't know," And Lyra really wished that she did, "But we'll figure something out. I promise,"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Okay I've fiddled with this, but managed to get it all written within a day.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Sakura Lisel:** **I think this chapter tells you a bit, but only time will tell if Lilac will be the heir to the family.**

 **Hikari Nova: Thanks.**

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

Lyra's head jerked to the side as the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the arena immediately causing the area around her to fall silent. Lyra's cheek stung as she blinked and slowly returned her attention to the person that had decided to do something stupid. Lily Potter panted as she glared at Lyra and the Mounted Guardian couldn't bring herself to care. Karth was about to jump at the woman and no doubt kill her for daring to do something so stupid. While tempting to allow it, she stopped him with a hand to his side and asked, "Lady Potter, do you realize just how badly you fucked up by striking a Mounted Guardian?"

"You took my children away from me!" The woman screeched at her and attempted to rear up to do it again only to be grabbed by her husband, "James, let go of me! St-"

"Lily! Stop, we will talk about this later," James hissed at her while offering Lyra a glare.

Lyra let out a cold laugh causing her bitch dame and sire to rear back in surprise, "You think I'm the one that took them away from you? Are you such a clueless and big headed twit that you forgot that it was your own actions that caused your children to pull away from you?" Shaking her head as Taylin walked over to her with a growling Ausca, "It is your own Vesimur be damned fault that they want nothing to do with you. The sheer fact that they actually want to be with someone they only met almost a week ago instead of you says a helluva lot about your parenting," Taylin pressed a hand to her stinging cheek and a cool warmth sank into her skin, "It makes me glad that you threw me away for being a bastard the moment you could. I shudder at the thought of who I could've been under your so called tender loving care," It was a struggle to keep her eyes open even as the two idiots went crimson red, "I will be watching over Lilac while I'm in England and depending on how things go, I may just have the goblins have her placed under a new guardian."

"You can't do that!" James shouted at her.

"I can and I will," Lyra smirked at him, "Unlike you two, I take care of my family no matter what,"

A group of guards approach, "Sergeant Silver, do we need to remove them?"

"That won't be necessary," Dumbledore said as he approached, "I will ensure that neither of them cause any trouble,"

The guards looked at Lyra and she waved them off. She had been about to dismiss them anyway since neither of the two were worth troubling the guards. She looked at Dumbledore as Taylin lowered his hand, "I would advise that you return to England as soon as possible or you may be losing two more of your group only they won't be alive."

"You would kill your own parents?" Dumbledore asked as the rest of the English Magicals approached.

"My 'parents'?" Lyra asked with a raised eyebrow, "They are nothing more genetic donors to me and even then, I will not acknowledge them as family. My siblings on the other hand I acknowledge fully as they have done nothing wrong to me. As for killing them, they are not worth the time nor effort it would take to even slit their throats," A cold smile crossed her lips as she stared at the old man, "If I wished to kill them, they would be dead without realizing it. I was speaking about the people of this city. They do not take well to learning that some English magical decided to physically harm a Mounted Guardian. The opinion will worsen when they realize why not to mention when its revealed that it was my own 'mother' that did it," She could see the shock and horror within Dumbledore's eyes, "I would advise that you hurry and leave. My siblings things will be collected and if anything is missing for any reason, you will find yourself on the wrong side of the guards,"

Dumbledore was pale, "O-of course."

Lyra turned to Chris, Warren, Carter, Ron, and Hermione with a warm smile, "I will see you all at the feast. I advise you to enjoy yourselves as it will be the last truly tasteful meal you'll get until you've graduated from the training program."

"S-see you then," Chris said looking started.

Lyra offered him a reassuring smile before heading off with Taylin and their partners to where she could see their squad waiting. Joining them, Tsuki said, "Damn, Alpha. I did not expect that."

"Which part?" Lyra asked her with a slight grin.

"Both," Tsuki offered her a grin, "You tore into them good! Nice,"

Lyra bowed playfully earning laughs from her pack, "Let's go change for the party."

* * *

Chris felt nervous as he was settled into a group of beings that had bonded with wyverns. He could barely see Warren and Carter among the smaller group of around twelve that had bonded with Vesca. The magnified sound of a throat being cleared caused silence to fall over the group and everyone to look towards the stage. A large giant of a dark elf with purplish black skin and heavy red tattoos stood beside an even more gigantic wyvern with bright lime green scales and crimson colored stripes. A small female fey with soft pink hair and pale green skin smiled warmly at everyone from beside a brownish grey looking Vesca with pastel colored wings. The female fey spoke in an airy and bright voice, "Now that we have your attention, my name is Marris Vul and this is my partner Tyran. With me is Bala and his partner Sharp, we are the masters of the training academy here. I am the Master of the trainee Mounted Guardians and Bala is the master of the trainee Dragon Riders."

"What my pretty mate is saying," Master Bala glared at them as his deep booming voice rang through the air, "Is that if you babies fuck up, we get to punish you however we want,"

"Thank you, Bala," Master Marris said soothing the nerves that had popped up because of Bala, "Now we are splitting you all into groups that are called squads. For the next seven years, they will be your family. You will rise as a whole or fail as a whole. You will be punished if you try to harm another member of your squad outside of training. There is to be no bullying and if we catch you, you will be put in the detention center. I would not recommend it,"

"Dragon Riders," Master Bala boomed causing everyone to jerk a little, "There are currently 18 of you, we will only be doing two squads of 9 rather than our usual squads of sixteen,"

The two went on to outline some general rules before splitting up the two groups. Chris managed to catch his brother's eye and promised to meet him at the party that Lyra had told them about. They were led up so many flights of stairs that held the promise of many leg pains in the future. Master Bala tossed open a gigantic door that led into what looked like a giant woodpecker had pecked out thousands of holes into the rock. Master Bala turned to them, "Welcome to the Aviary. This will be your home for the next week or so while we get you processed. You will be sleeping with your wyvern to improve your bond and get to know them better. Squads will be announced next week. Find a cave with your wyvern."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" One black haired female fey with neon pink eyes snapped, "We don't have saddles,"

"Not my problem," Master Bala snorted lightly.

Chris looked at his wyvern, Sylvia, closely. He moved around her and found what looked like the perfect spot to sit on while she was flying. Sylvia seemed to understand what he wanted and lowered her body. He carefully pulled himself on top of her while ignoring everything around him. He felt around her shoulders and found a pair of ridges that were perfect to grip. Once he had a tight grip, he settled his body against her back and Sylvia slowly stood up which allowed his feet to find the perfect purchase. Chris looked at Hermione and Ron, "Check around their shoulders, you'll probably find some ridges perfect to grip while flying."

Sylvia did a small waddle walk to reach the edge of the cliff-like area they'd been standing on as Master Bala shouted, "The caves about fifty feet up are empty!"

Chris nodded and said, "Let's go, Sylvia!"

Sylvia let out a trilling cry and jumped off the edge. Chris' stomach dropped a bit as wind rushed by his head before Sylvia flared her wings and they shot upwards. A whoop left him as the exhilaration of flying hit him alongside primal emotions he couldn't even begin to decipher. The feeling of being one with a queen of the sky ensured that he would never be able to ride a broom again. Sylvia began to glide near the walls and they looked towards the caves. Eventually Sylvia found one she liked and landed inside it. The landing was rough as it was the first time they'd flow together, but Chris didn't let it bother him. Sylvia lowered herself down and he slid off of her warm back.

The cave was bare and about as large as the his dorm room. It was warm enough that he doubted he'd need a blanket though he was going to have trouble falling asleep tonight. Sylvia settled her head on his shoulder and he murmured, "Looks like this is our home now, Sylvia."

She let out a low crooning sound in reply.

* * *

Warren looked at the stall he'd been sleeping in with Jasper and thought that it wasn't too bad. There was a shower room near the back of the stables the Mounted Guardian trainees were given, he would probably go take one later. Jasper nudged him and he smiled at his partner, "Not a bad place, huh?"

Jasper let out a grunt and Warren jolted slightly as Carter's voice sounded from the next stall, "Nope. It's bigger than my room at the orphanage."

"My room back home is bigger than this stall," Warren said only to pause, "I can't call that place home anymore, can I?"

"Not really," Carter's head popped over the wall of the stall along with Luka's, "Will you be okay, Warren?"

Warren nodded lightly, "I think so. It'll take some getting used especially when it comes to the heat."

"Oh right, England is colder than it is here," Carter's head tilted lightly, "Does it really rain a lot?"

"It depends on where you are," Warren walked over to the stall wall, "It rained a few times every few weeks where I lived. How often does it rain here?"

Carter shrugged lightly, "It depends on the time of year and if the weather mages need to cause storms. It rains a lot during the winter months. We've only ever gotten snow like four times in my memory."

"Does it ever get cooler?" Warren asked earning a nod.

"Just not for another three months," Carter smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly before Lyra came up,"

Warren shrugged not really seeing a problem with it, "It's fine. Just don't expect me to treat you like one of my siblings right away."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Carter held out a hand, "Friends?"

With a soft smile, Warren took his hand, "Friends."

* * *

Rolling her shoulders, Lyra tested the tunic she was wearing and found herself pleased when she noted that the few weapons she was carrying couldn't be seen. She looked up as Taylin walked into the room, "All set?"

"Yeah," Taylin looked her over and his eyes darkened a bit, "Have I ever mentioned how much I love seeing you in that?"

The tunic wrapped around her shoulders while the sleeves flared a bit until they were cut off a few inches above her wrists. The tunic seemingly gripped her curves when it truth it was slightly baggy. A diamond shaped hole sat over her midriff. The back was more lace than anything else. Taylin loved this tunic since it allowed he loved touching her back and stomach. He also loved it since it revealed the belly button piercing that was usually kept hidden from view. It was also a dark emerald green which was one of his favorite colors on her. She playfully rolled her eyes, "About two hundred and fifty seven times since I bought it five months ago."

Taylin wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder, "A lots changed since then, hasn't it?"

Lyra hummed slightly as she thought about five months ago, "Yeah."

Five months ago, they were getting put through the ringer as their teachers attempted to shove some last bits of knowledge into their heads. They were about to head out on the training trip from hell. They didn't know about the beast that would attack them. They didn't know about how close to losing Lyra and Karth were had the healers not been able to stop the bleeding in time. They didn't know about the nightmares that would plague them even now. They didn't know about Lyra's birth parents or the mission that would be before them. Hell, they didn't even know that Taylin would speed up his plans to propose or the fact his father approved. Thinking about it all, she placed a hand over Taylin's which had settled on top of her lower stomach. Taylin spoke softly, "Lyra..."

Lyra inwardly winced at his tone, "I know, Tay."

Her thoughts went to the life that neither of them had known about. The life that had been extinguished due to the attack. She closed her eyes and leaned against him as he murmured, "Did father see that in your memories?"

Lyra shook her head, "No. I...I managed to keep it back."

While it would probably come out eventually, Taylin's family wouldn't know about the child that Lyra had unknowingly been carrying that damn training trip. Since then, they'd been far more careful and would probably always be careful even when they decided to try again. Taylin kissed her cheek as his hand dropped away, "One day."

"One day," Lyra murmured softly before shaking the emotionally draining thoughts from her mind, "Come on, we should go join the others and head to the party. I want to spend as much time with my younger siblings as possible before we leave,"

"Right," Taylin said as she moved to head to the door only for him to pull her into a heated kiss.

Lyra's body practically melted into him in response to the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him. When they finally pulled apart, her lips tingled and she could see the rose petal lip stick she'd used staining his lips. Snickering softly, she reached behind her and picked up the tissue she'd be using to correct any mistakes and cleaned the stain off. She murmured softly, "My silly prince."

"My beautiful flame," He murmured in reply and they shared a soft smile.

No matter what the future held for them, they would be fine so long as they were together.

* * *

Lyra wrapped her arms around Carter's neck when she finally managed to find her siblings and Chris' friends. The new trainees looked shocked by the actions especially since all of them recognized her from the news report on the newly graduated Mounted Guardians. She chose to ignore them as she called out, "Found you~"

Carter snickered softly, "Lyra, you're going to scare our new comrades."

"I think Bala did that just fine," Lyra rolled her eyes lightly while tightening her grip for a moment before releasing the halfling, "So like your new accommodations,"

"You could've warned me about sleeping in the stables," He told her earning a shrug, "But I'm guessing it's tradition?"

Lyra nodded as she looked around to see the various Mounted Guardian and Dragon Riders wandering around, "That it is, the stables aren't bad though. They're actually pretty comfortable so long as you find a good spot to sleep against your vesca. My favorite spot is against Karth's right shoulder. It isn't the most comfortable position, but it's comforting," She looked at Chris and his friends, "I can't say much about where you're sleeping since I've never been inside the Aviary outside of that one time I had to collect Malcom since he decided to pull a few stupid pranks in there. Even then, I was only allowed in the lowest level."

"We're sleeping in caves with our wyverns," Chris answered earning a wince from Lyra, "Any advice for sleeping caves?"

"Sleep by your partners side," Lyra offered earning a nod, "Are they rough caves or smooth?"

"Rough at the front, but smooth all the way back after a certain point," Chris explained earning a hum.

She turned towards where she had seen Malcom heading towards, "Malcom!" The winged fey appeared through the crowd of fey and vesca, "Come here."

Malcom trotted over, "Yes, my wonderful and oh so gorgeous Alpha?"

Lyra's eyes narrowed, "You aren't playing any pranks, are you?"

Malcom's innocent look did not fool her a single bit, "Why whatever do you mean?"

"Just make sure it doesn't get anyone on my ass or force me to do paper work," Lyra would begrudge the mountain fey especially since today was a day for celebration, "I called you over here because the Dragon Riders are sleeping in caves with their wyverns in the Aviary. According to Chris, the caves are rough at the front, but smooth out after a certain point. Mind giving them a few pointers? Sleeping in caves is your expertise after all."

The clans of Mountain fey lived in caves for a majority of the year only withdrawing into their cities come the winter. Malcom nodded to her gaining an uncharacteristically serious look on his face, "Right."

"I'm going to go find, Taylin," Lyra told him earning a slightly distracted nod, "I'll come back in a few,"

With that, Lyra headed into the crowd. Karth trotted beside her which ensure that there was enough room to walk. She paused as she spotted Taylin speaking with Lucas prompting her to smirk. She walked over as Taylin was saying, "...And the wedding-"

"Oi, Feather Duster," Lyra called making Lucas visibly twitch before he spun towards her with a snarl.

"Stop calling me that!" Lucas shouted at her earning a snicker.

"Awe, is the owlet angry?" She cooed at him.

Before it could go further than that, a calming hand stopped them. Taylin was giving her a look of fond disapproval, "Really, Ly?"

"I can't help it," Lyra said as she made it to his side, "It could be one of the last few times I'll get to mess with him,"

Taylin wrapped an arm around her waist, "True."

Lucas calmed down after taking a few deep breaths, "So you guys are really going on your first mission and not being broken up, huh?"

"Yeah," Lyra leaned into Taylin, "Do you guys have any idea where you'll be placed?"

Lucas shook his head, "We've still got a week until they give us our final placements. Any idea where you'll go after your mission?"

"Since Tay's parents gave their blessing, we'll probably be in the capital so the wedding can be planned out," Lyra hesitated a moment before saying, "Lucas, we're going to have a second ceremony. While you aren't one of my pack, you are a friend and I would like it if you came to the second ceremony,"

Lucas looked at her in surprise before nodding with a warm smile, "Sure thing, just try not to call me feather duster, please."

"I won't," Lyra promised with ease since she had a whole slew of nicknames she could call him.

She wouldn't give up calling him nicknames that irritated the hell out of him. They were rivals after all. Taylin pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "Did you find them?"

"Yup and I finally found out where the Dragon Riders sleep for the first week or so," Lyra said earning curious looks, "The Aviary,"

"Damn, that must be uncomfortable," Lucas said earning two nods.

Sleeping in caves was something they'd all done during training, but it was never a pleasant experience unless you were Malcom. Thankfully, the mountain fey had offered some advice, so those instances weren't quite as uncomfortable. Lyra noticed some people heading to tables and said, "Looks like it's almost time for the party to start. We should get to our seats."

* * *

The sound of a dragon roaring echoed through the air causing silence to fall over the room. It wasn't quite as bad as when Karth had done it, but the sound was unpleasantly loud to Chris. Looking towards the source, Chris had to withhold a whistle at the gigantic fire sitting at the edge of the room. King Vallian stood up and he remembered that the king was going to be Lyra's father in-law making her a princess. He pushed those thoughts away as the King spoke, "My friends as you no doubt know, today marks the start of a journey for many young individuals across the country. Since last year, we have faced many losses withing both the Mounted Guardians and the Dragon Riders. While there are not as many bonded today as we would have liked, we do have newcomers and that's what matters. To our newcomers, I offer you these words and hope you take head of them. Those around you whether Dragon Rider or Mounted Guardian, you are comrades. Whether you were rich, poor, noble, or commoner, you no longer hold ties to those title. Titles gained before mean nothing now. Family names are nothing more than a name tacked onto your first one. You are nothing more and nothing less than the people around you," King Vallian looked upon all of them, "Rise together and unite as one or our enemies shall destroy us all. Now, my lovely wife wishes to say some words before we begin the feast."

Queen Saya stood up and beamed at them, "Welcome all of you! It brings warmth to my heart knowing that so many of you have become complete today. You are connected with someone that will be your dearest partner. The one being that will understand you so completely that you will never have to fear being alone again," She looked at them sternly, "Whether human, fey, shifter, were, elf, vesca, or wyvern, I ask that you look after one another. No one deserves to feel the pain of losing the other half of their soul. I do not care if you fight among yourselves, but do not let petty differences take over you to the point someone dies."

Queen Saya sat down and King Vallian spoke, "Now, I think it's time we all got to enjoy the wonderful feast prepared for us. Newcomers, old friends, dig in and enjoy yourselves!"

Cheers boomed out as music started up and food appeared before them all, Chris turned his head to Sylvia only to see her head burrowed into a platter of fish. Despite the disgust at the raw fish she was eating, Chris was happy that she was enjoying herself.

* * *

It took all of Lyra's will power not to mimic Karth and start gobbling down food as far as possible. To be quite honest, her partner could be a glutton especially when it came to his favorite food. She wondered how many sheep they had to butcher and cover in honey in order to provide the fire-born vesca with his meal. She took a bite of her own sheep flavored meal only hers was at least cooked. Karth reared back his head and promptly flash fried his food before digging in once more earning an eye roll from her. She glanced at Taylin who was the only other person at their table showing some form of restraint. He was eating a mixture of sushi and grilled fish that she didn't know the same of. He glanced at her and rolled his eyes at how their pack was behaving. At the very least, Malcom hadn't instigated a fight yet. She chewed on the well spiced mutton and swallowed before asking, "Do you want to dance once we're done eating?"

Taylin looked at her in surprise at the question along with the rest of their pack. She didn't blame them since she only danced if Taylin wanted to. He hadn't been able to drag her to the dance floor since her injury if only because the prince was afraid she'd strain herself too badly. Taylin swallowed the food in his mouth and asked, "Really?"

"Mhmm," Lyra drank some of the special sweet red wine that was being served today, "The healers gave me the clear so long as we didn't dance for too long or do anything too adventurous. I figured that since this is likely the last chance we'll have for the year, I might as well throw you a bone,"

Taylin beamed at her and nodded, "I would greatly enjoy that, Ly."

Lyra smiled at him in return before focusing on her food once more.

* * *

Lyra found her younger siblings again and quickly dragged Chris out onto the dance floor after dancing with Taylin a few times. Chris blinked at her as they began to waltz, "Wouldn't you rather dance with your fiancee?"

Lyra paused for a moment in shock before resuming the dance, "How did you know about that?"

Chris flushed lightly, "When we were leaving after Dumbledore secured a meeting with the King and we overheard you two talking."

Ah, that made sense especially since they weren't being too careful about who heard anymore. Nodding lightly, Lyra said, "Tay knows that I wanted to talk with you and in the Sven kingdoms, it's customary to dance with ones siblings at various events. I also wanted to know how you're doing. I know that my words earlier were a bit startling.'

"It fine," Chris assured her, "I just didn't expect you to sound so cold or confront them like that so soon,"

"It's probably better that it happened here rather than in England," Lyra told him, "I'd rather not deal with causing a political shitstorm,"

Chris snorted with an amused grin, "I didn't expect anyone to say that out loud."

"I don't really like honeying up my words especially around my family," Lyra shrugged lightly, "I will apologize for startling you so badly. I do not normally use the mask you saw, but they managed to piss me off enough that I found myself using it,"

"So it was just a mask?" Chris asked earning a nod, "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"My mentor, the one that gave me my name and adopted me from the orphanage," Lyra explained earning a curious look, "She taught me a lot of things after adopting me. She was the commander of the 13th squad,"

"Did she..." Chris trialed off.

Lyra inclined her head, "Three years ago as of last week. A boarder patrol mission went bad. It happens," Lyra paused for a moment, "Chris, I'm going to warn you just like I'm going to warn Warren. Carter already knows this, but that's due to how our society is," Chris' eyebrows pinched together, "Death happens frequently within the Mounted Guardians. There is always a chance we'll die on a mission even on as simple as taking a message between cities, the world we live in is dangerous and hesitating for even a second can get you killed. This isn't the English magical world where you have to hide magic from mundanes," Lyra looked at her younger brother seriously, "At the current moment, even a six year old from here can kill you without so much as blinking. Be careful and don't get cocky."

"I...I won't," Chris frowned at her, "Lyra, did you really save Taylin life only to end up crippled?"

Lyra pulled him off the dance floor and pulled up the sleeve of her injured arm causing Chris' eyes to widen at the sight of the scars, "This arm will always be weaker as will my leg on this side, Karth lost more than me though his tail will grow back. It happened on a training trip."

"How?" Chris asked reaching out only to pause.

Lyra extended her arm and allowed Chris to touch the thick scars, "A beast of some kind that we had never encountered before managed to get the drop on us. Taylin didn't notice in time and would've died along with Ausca if Karth and I didn't push them out of the way. Instead of anyone dying, Karth and I were crippled."

Lyra didn't mention that she had almost died and would have if it weren't for the work of the healers. An arm wrapped around her waist, "Ly, what's going on?"

"Chris just wanted to know if what he'd heard about my being crippled was right," Lyra explained earning a wince from Taylin, "Again, it isn't your fault for not noticing that thing. The only reason Karth and I noticed was luck,"

Taylin looked at Chris, "And does he know about our engagement?"

"The English magicals apparently overheard us speaking about it the night we ate dinner with your family," Lyra answered as it was the only time they could have possibly heard anything like that.

Taylin smiled lightly, "At the very least, it means less work for us," He looked at Chris, "You don't have a problem with this, do you?"

Chris shook his head, "No, but even if I did, it isn't my place."

Lyra smiled at Chris, "I'm glad you approve."

"I don't approve or disapprove of it," Chris corrected earning a slight smirk from Taylin, "I don't know either of you well enough to give you a proper opinion on any of this,"

Taylin looked at her, "It seems you two are more alike than I first thought."

Lyra shrugged, "I guess," She inwardly winced as her leg began to ache, "Let's go take a seat, my leg's starting to hurt."

* * *

The party was in full swing and alcohol was flowing freely. Lyra ended up in Taylin lap feeling somewhat buzzed. It was a nice feeling combined with the fact Taylin was pleasantly warm against her back and his arms wrapped around her. She pressed a wet kiss to his cheek only to giggle at the sight of the wet lipstick mark, "Oops."

"I think someone's buzzed," Taylin replied with a light smile.

"Better than them," Lyra pointed to their pack who were all in various states of drunkenness even Evan.

Evan was currently cuddling with Cain which never happened in public despite their relationship. Evan was a very private person, but with some alcohol, he turned into a real affectionate cuddle bug. Taylin rarely indulged himself more than a single glass unless they were alone as he tended to become amorous and not care about who saw. As it was, Taylin's fingers were began to trail where they shouldn't which told her they should probably leave. She pushed herself away from him as Chris walked up, "Lyra, Master Bala and Master Marris are sending us back to our rooms."

"That's a good idea," Lyra said as she got up and Taylin followed after her, "Things tend to turn a bit crazy once everyone starts drinking a lot. Most of it isn't for innocent eyes,"

"What do you-" Chris stopped mid sentence as his eyes went wide.

Lyra was about to ask what was the matter when she heard breathless laughter and saw a shirt being flung onto the ground nearby, "And it looks like they're going to start that soon."

"What the fuck?" Chris gasped and looked at her, "Are they seriously going to have a Merlin be damned orgy?"

"Pretty much," Lyra shrugged lightly.

"This isn't surprising to you?" Chris asked as she began pushing him towards where the growing group of trainees were currently being ushered out of the room.

"Nope," Lyra snorted softly, "On days like today, sex is generally expected of course, you have to be at least fifteen to even be allowed to participate if you feel the need to,"

Chris looked at her then at Taylin before asking, "Are you two going to..."

"Mhmm," Lyra hummed lightly.

Chris' face went red, "Aren't you waiting until you're married?"

"At least a year too late for that," Lyra told him with a laugh, "Remember, the culture here is a lot diffrent than yours,"

Master Bala let out a booming laugh, "Well, well if it isn't the Crocodiles hatchling, I haven't see you in months."

"Master Bala," Lyra greeted him, "This is my younger brother Chris,"

"I though he seemed familiar," Master Bala said, "Though I thought you were an orphan,"

"Long story short, I'm a bastard and the genetic donors tossed me aside the moment they could," Lyra said earning a raised eyebrow from the giant, "English magicals,"

Master Bala rolled his eyes, "Of course," He looked at Chris, "And this one?"

"Decent so far along with his friends," Lyra replied as Taylin began tugging her, "We've got to go,"

"Of course you do," Master Bala winked at her with a laugh and she rolled her eyes, "Have fun, Hatchling!"

"You too!" Lyra allowed Taylin to drag her away.

* * *

Chris sat in the cave Sylvia had chosen with his back pressed against her side. She let out a low sounding trill and he felt what he thought was concern coming from her side of the bond, "I'm fine. I just...It's been a long day," Sylvia nuzzled him and cooed at him, "I just need to get some sleep."

He got up and moved over to the boxes of stuff that had been brought from the hotel. He would have to contact Sirius in order to get most of his stuff back home. Pulling out a blanket, he paused as he noticed the stuffed lion toy he'd gotten at some point when he was a child. It had been something that always brought him some form of comfort. He picked it up while wondering why it was in the box since he didn't remember packing it. Bringing it up to his nose, he breathed in and felt himself relax as warmth spread through his body. He shook himself as Sylvia let out a questioning trill prompting him to say, "This is a toy that I've had for years, it's a source of comfort," He lifted it and Sylvia's head cocked to the side, "I don't remember where I got it from, but I've always felt better with this toy. If you ever end up destroying my things for whatever reason, I only ask that you avoid destroying this."

Sylvia nodded while nuzzling into him. He dropped the toy into his box and picked the blanket back up. Sylvia curled back up and raised a wing prompting him to settle against her side. Setting his blanket under him, Chris carefully got comfortable before closing his eyes. Things would be weird for awhile, but they would get better eventually, he had Hermione, Ron, Warren, Carter, and their partners.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Here's the next chapter!**

 **Reviews:  
**

 **Jostanos:** **I'm going to answer both reviews in this one.**

 **Review reply from Chapter Five:**

 **You'll get your answer in this chapter. It is Delllea. The third l is an L. I wanted to be unique.**

 **Review reply from Chapter Six:**

 **You'll see eventually. Nice pun. Carter is a Mounted Guardian trainee not a Dragon Rider. Hope that answers everything.**

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Lyra woke to a pleasant ache between her thighs and warmth flowing through her back. She cracked open an eye and found gentle sunlight filling the room. Letting out a pleased hum, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position only to grimace as she noticed the dried cum sticking to her thighs. She waved her hand lightly and the dried cum disappeared. It would seem that while they'd had the presence of mind to get rid of the mess that had ended up on the bed, they had forgotten to clean themselves up. She waved her hand again and heard Taylin let out a sharp hiss, "Why?"

"Dried cum is uncomfortable, My silly prince," Lyra replied glancing down at her lover with amusement.

"A little warning next time," He grumbled wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his chest after he'd sat up, "What are we doing up so early? It can't be more than an hour after dawn,"

Lyra hummed lightly as she turned her head and kissed the underside of his chin which was coated in a thin layer of coarse hair, "I just woke up."

Taylin lowered his head and caught her lips in a kiss as his fingers roved over the skin of her stomach, "We don't have to meet with the others for at least three more hours and breakfast won't start for another hour. Perhaps we should enjoy ourselves again?"

She smiled and willingly let him push her to lay down before wrapping her arms around his neck as he crawled over her. She pressed a kiss to her lips as the fingers of her right hand played with the baby fine strands settled at the edge of his hair line, "I can't exactly so no, but you better give me a massage after this."

"Of course," Taylin agreed as his eyes darkened with lust, "Anything for my fiery dragoness,"

* * *

Chris stiffened as arms wrapped around his neck before relaxing as Lyra spoke, "Good morning, Little brothers and friends."

"How are you so cheery?" Chris asked as his back ached.

"I'm only a morning person so long as I didn't train the day before or I've had an absolutely wonderful night," Lyra let go of him and Chris turned only for his eyes to widen as he took in the love bites dotting his sisters neck, "After last night, I'd be surprised if I wasn't in a good mood," She frowned at him, "You don't look like you had a comfortable night's sleep,"

"It was difficult to find a good position to sleep in not to mention there aren't any showers in our caves," Hermione spoke up while eyeing Lyra, "So no one really cares if you have sex even if you aren't married?"

Lyra went to hug Carter and Warren as she replied, "You'll eventually get used to sleeping beside your wyverns. As for the showers, you won't find any here unless you're in the teachers quarters. If you want to clean up, you'll have to go to the communal hot-springs. They aren't bad especially since they're segregated for the most part. As for your question," Lyra let go of Warren, "No one really cares. Most of the species that live in Delllea are long lived, so very few see the necessity of marriage. Of course, it exists and every species has tons of ceremonies to use. The only ones who really use if with any frequency are those of noble and royal class," Lyra pointed to a table where Chris could see Taylin, "Due to being Mounted Guardians, Taylin no longer has to uphold that specific tradition since any status' we had before becoming Mounted Guardians were wiped away. I'm fairly sure it's the same with the Dragon Riders, but I can't be too sure."

Chris frowned in confusion, "Does that mean you aren't going to become a princess when you marry him?"

"Let me finish," Lyra told him before saying, "Tay is still considered a prince though he's last in line for the throne. If his father, mother, and siblings died, he would take the throne, but that won't happen especially since there are rumors that one of the elder prince's has a child on the way. Even if said child is a bastard, they would be ahead of Tay in the line of succession,"

"That doesn't really make sense," Hermione said with a shake of her head.

"You're thinking in human outsider terms which isn't useful in this situation," Lyra told his bookwormish friend, "With the fey monarchy, it doesn't matter if you're a bastard or not. Taylin is a Mounted Guardian and gave up his place in the line of succession. It's simple," She focused on him, "To answer your question, I never would've become a princess. Humans never become true royalty among the fey. The most they ever attain is the title of consort or paramour,"

Warren spoke up, "So Taylin and you are getting married because you want to?"

"Yup!" Lyra looked towards Taylin with a soft expression on her face.

"You must love him a lot," Hermione said as a blush covered her cheeks.

Lyra hummed lightly, "I love him enough to die for him," She looked at them, "Now if you'll excuse me, I was very active last night and this morning, so I really need to eat."

With that, she walked away and Ron commented, "Chris, your sister is very blunt."

"Yeah," Chris was beginning to see that.

He wondered just how badly she would turn the English magical society on its head before remembering that he shouldn't really care anymore. Based on her words, the magical society he had lived in since his birth no longer held any claim to him. It would never be his home again.

* * *

Lyra grinned as Cain sat down across from her with a wince alongside a smug Evan, "Have fun last night, Cain?"

"Shut it," Cain grumbled at her, "How the hell aren't you in pain?"

"We don't rush unless one of us feels the need and we take care of each other afterwards," Lyra replied giggling as Cain shot Evan a dark look, "I also have a healer that doesn't mind giving me massages whenever I ask for them,"

Cain looked towards Taylin and ask, "Do you-"

"No, I am not touching you anywhere near that part of your body unless I have to," Taylin replied after swallowing the rice he had been chewing on, "If Evan wants to learn how to do it, they do have classes for it,"

Lyra couldn't have been happier when Taylin took said classes on whim. Of course, it was before they truly got together, but that didn't really matter since it benefited them now. She had taken a few of them and could reciprocate though she wasn't as good as Taylin no matter how much she tried. Malcom showed up and asked, "Did the vamp get his ass kicked?"

"No, he had something shoved in it repe-" Tsuki began only to have Cain throw a piece of bacon into her mouth.

The shifter merely grinned at Cain before crunching on the bacon. Breakfast went how it normally did when they were all together though it was clear most of them were tired from the various activities last night. Tsuki and Malcom, being the unattached members of the pack, had joined in on the orgy last night. They were very lucky that the health screenings and potions many took ensured that no one could get a sexually transmitted disease. When everyone finished eating, Malcom asked, "So what's the plan for today?"

"I'm actually going to meet with Dumbledore," Lyra said earning frowns from her pack though Taylin looked at ease since he would be going with her, "Taylin is coming with me. He'll be checking on Lilac to ensure she's recovering as well as making sure she is caught up on everything. Dumbledore will be giving me as much information about where we will be staying, the past war, and England in general. We will be given a tour of the English magical districts as well,"

"At least Taylin's going with you," Evan leaned back a little in his seat, "What do we need to do?"

"Continue your preparations. We have less than two weeks before we leave this place," In reality they only had a week and two days maybe a bit less before they were off to England, "Do not get into trouble,"

* * *

Settling down in one of the meeting rooms that the hotel boasted, Lyra internally grimaced as the ass kissing manager kept bugging her. Dumbledore entered with a few of the English Magicals following him. She recognized them to be Kingsley Shacklebot and Severus Snape. She frowned heavily at Dumbledore as the man said, "I apologize for the wait-"

"Headmaster, I ask that you send Potions Master Snape away. He is not needed here," Lyra cut him off earning a frown from the old man, "Do not think that we do not know of his position. Spies like him aren't to be trusted and I will not allow my operation to be interfered with because of him. Have him leave now,"

Spies that reported to both sides were worthless especially when it came to those with magic. Dumbledore cleared his throat as Severus Snape glared at her, "He has my full trust."

"But not mine and I do not trust any of yours as far as I can throw them," And she could throw them pretty damn far with her magic, "I do not trust you either, Dumbledore. I will not allow a two-faced spy such as him to cause any problems for my pack. If it weren't for the fact you and yours are guests within this city and we have a contract, he would've been killed immediately. As he can probably attest to when it concerns his compatriots,"

Severus looked ready to maim her which only amused Lyra especially since she could kill him without even trying the moment he tried to draw her wand. Dumbledore turned to 'his' spy and asked, "Severus?"

"She is unfortunately correct, Headmaster," The man hissed out.

Dumbledore sighed deeply, "Then please leave us, Severus. I do not wish to linger much longer within this land."

The potions master left with a glare directed at her. The other man, an Auror, spoke, "Sergeant Silver, I would like to introduce myself properly as I haven't had the chance to before. I am Kingsley Shacklebolt of the DMLE. I have always held respect for the Mounted Guardian core and their affiliates due to one of my favorite cousins being one."

Lyra smiled at the man and inclined her head, "Then I will say that it is a pleasure though I hope you'll understand if I do not know your cousin."

"It is alright seeing as she is a Mounted Guardian within the Lyre province," Auror Kingsley replied earning a considering look.

The Lyre province held one of the largest deserts in Delllea and contained Aris, the jeweled city. She had never been there, but hoped to take a trip at some point since the city of jewels was supposed to be one of the most beautiful sights within all of Sven. Lyra spoke with a warm smile, "Is she perhaps one of those bonded with a jewel born vesca?"

"Yes though I don't know much more than that," Auror Kingsley replied.

"A true shame though it is to be expected," Lyra gestured to the table, "Please sit, I am sure that we all wish to finish this meeting as soon as possible. I wish to meet Lilac before I leave today as it will be my last chance until we head to England,"

"Of course," Dumbledore sat down across from her and Auror Kingsley sat on his right side, "If I may ask before we begin, how will you be getting your vesca to England?"

"A ship," Even she didn't know what kind of ship they would be using, "It is the safest option,"

"How will you be keeping your vesca a secret while in England?" Auror Kingsley asked earning a slight smirk.

"Delllea and our vesca are known to the world, Auror Kingsley. We do not hide ourselves especially since the various countries around the world employ us both on the magical and non-magical side," Lyra answered earning shocked looks, "Hiding a country as large as Delllea in the modern age is impossible especially as vesca and wyvern can bond with non-magicals as well as magicals. While your people may have to hide, we do not need to especially as it is clear to the world at large that we can easily defend ourselves especially since we do have the biggest guns that only continue to get stronger. At the current moment, the Queen and her trusted are being informed about our purpose," Lyra picked up the glass of water she'd poured herself and took a drink, "While we are not allies with the magical sect of England, we are allies with the non-magical side to an extent. We do not participate in their wars and they do not participate in ours unless necessary,"

"I did not know that," Dumbledore commented slowly.

Lyra smirked lightly, "You English magicals are far too focused on your community and staying the same."

* * *

The meeting past fairly quickly after that point with Lyra recording it to take apart at a later date with her pack. She went with Dumbledore and Auror Kingsley back to the rooms they were staying in. She entered the room and immediately heard, "What the hell is she doing here?"

Smirking at her bitch of a dame, Lyra informed her, "I am here to get Taylin and to meet my youngest sibling."

The ginger haired woman, Ron's mother Molly if she remembered his explanation of his family was correct, spoke, "How are the children doing?"

"They aren't children anymore," Lyra retorted earning a frown from the woman, "The moment they bonded with a vesca or a wyvern, they were no longer considered children; however, I believe that while they had a rough night, they are alright,"

"A rough night?" Molly asked sounding fairly concerned.

"Due to the fact we never know how many will bond with a vesca or wyvern, we cannot prepare rooms ahead," Lyra explained patiently, "It was decided long ago that our first week as trainees would be spent with our partners. It isn't truly comfortable for anyone, but it also allows the trainees to get adjusted to their partner. I do not believe they will have trouble soon enough as they seem like the type to adapt quickly," Lyra saw her nod though the look of concern didn't fade, "You will be permitted to meet with them if you so wish during the next few days. I would suggest you take what time you can as you're leaving soon,"

The eldest male ginger hugged Molly to him and asked, "Will we ever be able to see them again after this?"

"Yes though they will not be able to share much of anything due to the oaths we take," Lyra felt a little bad for them as they obviously cared about the group that had been bonded, "It will not be during the first year or so though as they will be put through a lot of intensive training. I would advise planning a visit next year around two weeks from today as that is usually when family is allowed to make any visits," The man nodded while the woman began to cry a bit, "If you'll excuse me, I do not have much time before I must report back along with Taylin. We have a lot of preparations to take,"

Lyra moved past them towards the door she could see Taylin looking at her from. She entered the room and immediately found herself drawn to the child laying on the bed. Lilac looked better than when she'd last seen her, but not as healthy as she could be. Moving towards the bed, Lyra saw the child look at her curiously and offered the girl a warm smile as Taylin spoke, "She is recovering fairly nicely especially considering her age and species. By my count, she should recover within two months."

Lyra nodded to him before focusing back on Lilac, "Hello, Lilac. My name is Lyra Silver though you would probably know my birth name to be Briar. I...I am very happy to meet you though I wish the circumstances could have been better."

"It's nice to meet you too," Lilac smiled at her, "I've been wanting to meet you since I found out about you," Lilac's smile fell, "Are Chris and Warren really never coming back?"

Sighing softly, Lyra shook her head, "No, they won't be going back."

"Oh," Lilac looked down at her hands.

"It doesn't mean you'll never get to see them or me," Lyra told her earning an eager look, "I will be coming to England in about two weeks," It would only take around three to four days to reach England by ship, "My pack will be coming with me. We'll be there for an entire year maybe a little bit longer. I'll visit as much as possible. Chris and Warren told me that you want to meet Karth," Lilac nodded with a slight blush, "I'll let you meet him. After that year, you may actually be coming to live with me or at the very least your godfather,"

Lilac looked confused, "Why?"

"As far as I've been able to find out, your parents aren't very good at their job," Lyra told her earning an scared look, "I know that they might not seem that bad and can be good parents sometimes, but the fact they let you get sick like that isn't right. Depending on how the year goes, I'll be putting them under investigation. What happens after that point is unknown," Lyra gently laid her hand on Lilac's shoulder making sure to not put much pressure on it, "I'm only tell you this because while you may be a child, you're still aware of the world and should have a say in it,"

Lilac nodded while look a bit unsure, "A-alright."

Realizing that she had put way too much on the recovering child's plate, Lyra said, "I do have something for you. Just make sure your parents don't know where you got it, okay?"

Lilac nodded looking a bit happier. Reaching into her bag, Lyra pulled out the scrying mirror her mentor had gifted her with years ago. She handed it to Lilac as the child asked, "A mirror?"

"A scrying mirror that I was given by my mentor who adopted me from the orphanage," Lyra explained as Lilac ran her fingers over the mirror, "It was part of how she helped me start using my magic. It'll give you a head start on using your magic and allow you to check on your siblings. It isn't the most powerful, but you'll be able to see that they're alright. The longer you work with it, the clearer the images will be,"

"But I thought we couldn't use magic until we got our wands," Lilac looked at her in confusion.

Lyra refrained from rolling her eyes, "Anyone can use magic no matter how old they are. You cause accidental magic, don't you?" Lilac nodded and Lyra could see her eyes beginning to gleam with understanding, "Your magic doesn't start to stabilize fully until you're at least ten which is why those under ten aren't allowed to bond with vesca or wyverns though there is also a whole slew of other reasons that I'm not going to go into. Human magicals have their core stabilized by the time they turn seventeen though in females it occurs almost as young as fifteen if the conditions are right," Lyra settled down beside Lilac and took the mirror gently, "This," She held it up lightly, "Will help you exercise your magic and make it stronger. It might actually help you have less accidental magic outbursts though I can't be too sure. Scry something at least once a day though vary it so that you can get a good idea of it all."

"Show me, please," Lilac looked like an eager puppy.

Smiling, Lyra started showing her how well aware of the adoring look Taylin was giving her.

* * *

They rode back to the arena as Taylin commented, "Seeing you with Lilac makes me eager to see it happen with our kids."

"We still have a few years before we try," Lyra reminded him with a light smile, "We need to get this mission done and over with first. We also need to get settled in our jobs as Mounted Guardians,"

Taylin nodded with a small smile though a bit of grief appeared in his eyes. Lyra reached through the air between them and grabbed his hand. He smiled at her and squeezed lightly, "Yeah."

"If it does happen before then, we'll figure things out," Lyra promised while wondering what their eventual kid would look like.

* * *

Chris hugged Lilac as tightly as he could without hurting her, "I'll miss you, Li."

"Be careful, Big brother," Lilac hugged him tightly in return.

"I will," He promised pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "You too. If it gets too difficult at home, head to Uncle Siri's place or Uncle Moony's,"

"I will," Lilac let go of him before moving to hug Warren, "Watch over each other, please,"

"We will," Warren promised as Chris nodded along.

"Lilac," Lily called as she entered the room, "It's time to go,"

Lilac stiffened a bit before letting go of Warren and walking over to their mother. Chris looked at his mother with a frown before taking a deep breath and saying, "Well, Mother, it looks like this is the last time we'll see one another again. I...I'll miss you."

Lily's eyes softened a bit, "I will miss you both as well. Be safe and watch over each other."

Chris nodded and watched her leave with Lilac. Warren spoke as the door closed, "Mom isn't that bad without dad around."

"Yeah," Chris closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

* * *

Chris grimaced as he tugged on the edge of his tunic, "Why can't we wear t-shirts again?"

"Because they are far too flimsy and will get destroyed," The seamstress answered while eyeing him, "You'll get used to tunics. What's wrong?"

"It feels a bit too tight around my shoulders and waist," Chris answered prompting a hum from the seamstress.

She took it off of him, "I can let it out just a bit though I can't do too much without compromising the design. You're lucky that it isn't seven years ago or you'd have to deal with ill fitting clothes until your third year when you can afford to buy tailor made stuff. Even now, you'll have to get used to having only three pairs of clothes for the next few months."

"How come it changed?" Chris wasn't going to complain too much.

"Queen Saya wished that her only child to become a Mounted guardian to actually have some small comforts even if she couldn't provide him much," The seamstress explained as she began to mess with the tunic, "It wasn't that difficult to do as the Mounted Guardian training areas had been petitioning for it to happen for years. The king allowed it as it would get the training areas off his back and keep his wife happy,"

Soon enough, Chris tried on the tunic again and agreed that it was perfect. He found himself being ushered over to the blacksmiths to be fitted for his training leathers and practice weapons. After that, he found himself being taken to the saddle makers which were fitting Sylvia with a saddle. He noticed that it was a lot diffrent from the saddles he'd seen Karth and the others wearing, "That saddle is diffrent from the ones I've seen before."

"Wyverns have a diffrent body type to consider not to mention a need for diffrent materials that won't weigh them down as they fly," The worker fitting Sylvia explained, "If the saddle is too heavy or isn't placed correctly, it can do damage to a wyvern. As they get older and large, they can begin to wear heavier materials, but it is best that the materials a light weight and durable," The worker looked at him, "Be careful when you're putting on the saddle, you need to make sure you aren't covering any of her wings. I'll show you exactly where the saddle should be and how to secure it in once I'm done,"

After making sure he knew how exactly Sylvia's saddle should be secured and the worker ensuring that he wouldn't make a mistake, Chris was told to come back in a month or sooner to have the saddle adjusted since wyverns of Sylvia's age tended to grow at a steady rate until they reached eight years of age. After that, they only grew every other year. Chris soon met up with his friends and asked, "When do you think we'll be given a full tour?"

"Not until we take those oaths," Hermione answered with a grimace, "I looked them over and they seem so barbaric,"

"They've been like that for over thousands of years," Carter explained as he walked over with Warren, "There have been changes made, but they're almost exactly the same as they were back when all this started. The Mounted Guardians and Dragon Riders are an ancient order that predates the current monarchy and even before it,"

"How could it have survived for so long?" Ron asked with confusion.

Chris didn't blame him since the current fey monarchy has been around for over a millennium. It has been one of the most stable monarchies in the history of the world with very few of the kingdoms changing. The Sven kingdom is one of the oldest parts of the monarchy and the least changed. Well that was what he'd read in the book Hermione had given him. Carter shrugged lightly, "I don't really know much. I think it has to do with the fact that those bonded to either vesca or wyvern take on the life spans of their partners."

* * *

Looking around her rooms, Lyra felt a bit sad knowing that this would be the last time she'd ever come back here. Kel stood nearby with an awkward smile on her face, "It looks like this is it, my lady."

"So it seems, Kel," Lyra replied smiling sadly, "I don't think I can express how thankful I am for your work these last few months. I don't think I'll ever find someone as good as you,"

"We both know that isn't true, Lyra," Kel replied with a soft smile.

Lyra walked over to Kel and hugged the small shifter, "Thank you, Kel. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"Be careful and try not to forget to eat when you get wrapped up in a project," Kel hugged her back as tightly as possible, "Watch over Taylin too. I don't want to hear that you've gone and killed yourselves,"

"We'll watch over each other," Lyra promised before releasing the shifter, "Take care. Perhaps one day, you'll come to the capital and we'll talk,"

"Perhaps," Kel replied before leaving the room.

Lyra walked over to her bed where the trunks and chests containing all her things sat. She shrunk them down and put them into her bag before heading to the door. Taylin stood there looking a bit sad, "We're really leaving, huh?"

"Time flies by so quickly," Lyra murmured in reply.

Taylin pulled her into a hug and Lyra looked at the bare room sadly. Images of the long nights she spent at the desk or table working on various projects filled her minds eye as her eyes lingered the the wooden tables. Memories of long nights spent wrapped up in Taylin's arms whether on the bed or on the couch filled her mind. Fights both with her pack and Taylin as well as making up with everyone. The days when she'd collapsed onto the floor either because of being too tired or pushing herself too far while being injured. Reaching out, she ran her fingers over the initials etched into the stone as Taylin murmured, "Over four years worth of memories in this room...It seems like just yesterday we would stumble in here after a long two day training session feeling far too tired to do anything but sleep."

"Yeah," Lyra leaned into him as her hand dropped, "Four years worth of memories. I almost wish we had another hellish training session with Bogs,"

"Almost," Taylin laid his head on hers, "We should get going if you want time to say goodbye to Carter, Chris, and Warren,"

Lyra nodded though she was hesitant to move. She didn't want to leave the room that held so many memories of both good and bad events. She didn't want to, but she had to. Taking a deep breath, she closed the door and pulled away from Taylin, "Let's go."

* * *

Chris looked at his elder sister as she hugged Carter and asked, "So you'll be gone for a year?"

"Yes though when we do come back we won't stay in the city for long," Lyra answered letting go of Carter, "We'll be heading to the capital after a short visit,"

Chris frowned at her, "Can't you stay longer?"

"No," Lyra shook her head, "I want to stay longer to make sure you're all settled in properly, but that isn't possible. I will stay in contact via mirror calls, but that won't be too often," Lyra pulled him into a hug, "All of you will be too busy to notice soon enough. The first year is really intensive and harsh on everyone involved even the teachers,"

Chris felt a bit of fear at that, "Really?"

Lyra nodded as her eyes went a little hazy, "Yeah. It was rougher than anything I'd ever experienced before. I could barely stand by the end of the day most of the time and just collapsed onto the my bed at the end of it. Sometimes, I didn't even make it to my bed and slept with Karth. You're put through your paces both mentally and physically with little time to rest. Any weekends were spent sleeping as no one wanted to do anything," Lyra shook her head and her eyes cleared, "It was worth it though. If it weren't for the hellish training sessions, I doubt we would've survived to graduate."

"Is there any advice you can give us?" Hermione asked looking a bit pale.

Lyra hummed lightly as she cupped her chin, "Let me think..." She snapped her fingers, "Take extra classes like the massage ones. They'll give you skills that are dead useful even if it won't seem like that at first. Ask questions. If you're falling behind, ask for extra help. The trainers are there to ensure you make it to graduation and beyond. Don't try to make enemies. As outsiders, you'll have to work extra hard to earn any respect. Ask your fellows about their lives and show an interest in the culture around you. Don't immediately demonize anyone just because you can't understand why they'd do something. Sometimes it's a tradition or something," Lyra bit her bottom lip, "Be kind to those around you, but don't let yourselves be used."

"Anything else?" Chris asked her.

Lyra paused before saying, "Make sure you take extra survival classes. They will save your ass."

"Anything for us?" Carter asked gesturing to Warren.

Lyra pursed her lips, "The same stuff I said to them. Take any extra classes you can though make sure to space it out. You do have seven years after all," They nodded, "Other than that, I'd advise you to get close to your squad. While you may end up separated upon graduation, it doesn't mean you won't see each other again. The squad you end up in will eventually become your family...Well, it the case of Warren and Carter. I'm not sure about the Dragon Riders."

A knock sounded on the door and he turned to spot Taylin, "It's time."

"Right," Lyra looked at all of them, "Watch over each other. Protect one another as best you can and don't ever give up on each other. Stay safe,"

Lyra hugged him again before doing the same to Carter and Warren. He swallowed before saying, "Be careful too. The Death Eaters and Voldemort aren't to be underestimated."

"I'll be careful," Lyra promised.

* * *

"So we're taking an airship to the seaport to get ourselves a ship to England," Tsuki said earning a few nods as they made their way through the city, "This seems really fucking complicated,"

"The airships aren't supposed to go anywhere outside of Delllea air space, remember?" Cain replied earning a huff from Tsuki, "Ship travel is also safer for our partners,"

"Besides, do you really want to be stuck on a cramp airship that's more likely to fall out of the sky for at least twelve hours than actually having room to move at the cost of just two days of sea travel?" Lyra asked earning a grunt from Tsuki, "Trust me, I'm not looking forward to being stuck on a ship in the middle of the Mother and Father be damned ocean either. Karth and I are definitely not water beings,"

Lyra was given a few pitying looks since everyone knew just how badly she was affected by water travel. She got seasick and would be puking out her guts the whole time they traveled. Even with potions to help calm her stomach, she wouldn't be enjoying the trip at all. Luckily, she could recover the moment she was on dry land which was all that mattered. Thankfully, it would only be two days of water travel.

Taylin spoke as he reached out to take her hand, "I'll be with you the whole time."

"I just hope Karth will be alright," Lyra replied as she rubbed Karth's scales feeling him grumble softly, "Neither of us are looking forward to the trip,"

They soon reached the air ship and got on board after a quick check. The ship was cramped, but fast. They would be at the port within an hour and on a ship heading to England in two. She sat in Taylin's lap as Karth and Ausca curled up around them. Taylin laid his head on her shoulder, "A year in England..."

"I thought our first mission would've been a boarder patrol or something like it," Lyra admitted as she leaned into him, "Life really knows how to throw us curve balls,"

"At the very least, we're together," Taylin pressed a kiss to her cheek.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Reviews:  
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 **Jostanos:** **No problem. Yup and what an interesting year it will be *Winks***

 **BamaRose19: Here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

Lyra spent the entire trip either praying to the porcelain god, sleeping, or laying on the bed in the room she shared with Taylin wishing that there was a more effective potion that could do away with her sea sickness. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the feed back between Karth and her. Neither of them enjoyed sea travel even during the few moments they managed to not feel sick. Thankfully, the two day trip passed by quickly and the two were able to get off the ship within moments. The two danced around a bit feeling happy that they wouldn't be puking up their guts before their stomach promptly began growling. Luckily, the port of Felixstowe was well versed in vesca and wyvern, so there were plenty of stalls set off a bit away from the bustling port. While buying them food to calm their roaring stomachs cost a pretty Feather, it was worth it. She would have to remember to get English currency as she only carried Delllea currency. Chewing on some kind of roasted fish, they made their way back over to the boat where Taylin looked at them in amusement, "Really?"

"We were hungry. By the way, I need to find an exchange place since I doubt most businesses would accept Feathers, Claws, or Pegasus," Lyra said before holding out a stick of the fish she was currently eating.

Taylin took it with an amused smile, "We can do that at the outpost here as well as grab the money we're being issued for our stay here."

"I forgot they did that when we have jobs outside of Delllea," Lyra admitted earning a laugh, "The fish is pretty good,"

Taylin took a bite and nodded as Karth offered Ausca one of the extra hunks of fish he had managed to get her to buy. Ausca took it with an amused rumble and dug into the snack. Karth's chest puffed up as he took another hunk of fish from the bag she was holding out to him. Taylin spoke after chewing on the piece in his mouth, "I believe this is Vertic Nossc. Not badly seasoned though they could have cooked it for a little bit longer. I haven't had it since I left the palace."

Happy that she'd gotten him something that he liked, she smiled, "So we need to stop at the outpost. Then head to London?"

"After that, we need to head to Buckingham Palace to pay our respects to the queen and deliver our reasons for being in England," Taylin replied as the others joined them, "Once we're done, we'll meet up with whoever Dumbledore's sending to guide us and head to Hogwarts to get settled,"

* * *

Meeting the Queen of England was a treat in and of itself though Lyra would always prefer to avoid politics, she would admit that dealing with the woman was something she wouldn't mind doing again. She just wished that they could've done it with their partners beside them, but supposed that was a foolish hope. Queen Elizabeth's safety was far more important than the comfort of a couple of newly graduated Mounted Guardians. The visit was quick though and soon they were on their way towards Charing Cross where their guide was supposed to meet them. Though getting away from Buckingham Palace was difficult due to the reporters that decided to show up, she really didn't like the media.

London was busy and smelled far more polluted than she had expected. It was painful for both vesca and partner as their noses were far more used to unpolluted air of Delllea. While there was some pollution near the bigger cities, it was heavily regulated to prevent the scarring of the earth. They understood that Delllea was diffrent mostly because they could use magic openly and almost everyone inside the continent could use some form of magic. It didn't save their noses especially not Tsuki and Cassian. They were in the most pain due to their highly sensitive noses that were made for tracking. Eventually, they would all get used to it, but that didn't change just how horrible pollution smelled.

Charing Cross was almost the worst part of London in terms of smell, but they managed to deal with it. Lyra slid off of Karth's back as the others did the same and took out the letter Dumbledore had sent them via phoenix the day before they left. She spoke as they gathered around her after casting some privacy charms, "What time is it?"

"Fifteen minutes to two PM," Evan answered after taking out his pocket watch.

"That means we have fifteen minutes before our guide is supposed to meet us," Lyra said looking over the letter once more, "We're looking for a man named Sirius Black though he might be bringing a friend named Remus Lupin. Lupin is a werewolf,"

Evan let out a snort as he sneered alongside Tsuki. No one could blame the two as weres outside of those born in Delllea tended to lose control of their instincts far too easily. Tsuki, being a wolf-shifter and an alpha at that, despised them as they were seen as rabid beasts that couldn't be bothered to actually learn how to control themselves. Lyra would have to keep a close eye on Tsuki if only to keep her from killing the werewolf. The mission was already going to be difficult, they didn't need to add murdering one of Dumbledore's allies to the list. Who knows, the werewolf might be useful to them though Tsuki and Evan would probably disagree. She gave the two a look and Tsuki huffed, "We won't kill him..."

"I need both of you to be polite as he might prove useful if only for helping us find the werewolves that supposedly support our main target," Lyra said making Tsuki grin, "I'll let you two kill as many as you want so long as they support the 'dark' lord and aren't children,"

"Yes, Alpha," Both said though Tsuki looked bloodthirsty and sadistic.

Shaking her head lightly, Lyra decided to let it go for now. Instead, she said, "Once we get to Hogwarts, we're going to get settled in and get used to our surroundings. We'll have to find a place for us to train, but that shouldn't be too hard once we know the layout of what's going to be home base for the year. In a week, we will begin to make a tentative plan."

"When are the students supposed to arrive?" Malcom asked as Lyra finished scanning over the letter.

"According to my talk with Dumbledore, they're due to arrive September first. At the current moment, it's August fifth meaning we have 27 days until they're due to arrive," Lyra put the letter back into her saddle bag and leaned against Karth as her partner yawned, "We're all going to have to be at Hogwarts during the welcome feast and the week following it,"

"Have I mentioned how much I don't want to deal with snot-nosed English brats?" Cain said earning a few snorts.

"About fifteen million times since we got the mission," Tsuki snarked earning a glare from Cain.

"Both of you settle down," Lyra told them earning frowns, "Now is not the time. Once we get settled and are in an area that we don't have to be careful about not destroying, you can fight as much as you want. We are not home anymore nor are we trainees,"

And those words sobered everyone up, they were in a foreign country far from home and they didn't have any teachers around to help them if they got into trouble. They were full members of the Mounted Guardians and that meant they had to act like it. They couldn't act like immature brats for the most part anymore.

* * *

Lyra mentally went over the information about Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They had been friends with her sire and dame until the two had decided to send her away. They were the Godfathers of her siblings and much like uncles to them. Sirius had apparently been her godfather. Sirius was a grimm animagus which was interesting since animagus weren't seen very often in Delllea mostly because only humans had that ability and Mounted Guardians couldn't use it after bonding with their partner. She wasn't exactly sure about the Dragon Riders, but assumed it was the same. Sirius was Lord of the Black family and named Warren his heir only that wasn't really possible anymore since her youngest blood brother was a Mounted Guardian trainee now. And he was one of the teachers at Hogwarts, a defense instructor alongside Remus Lupin.

Remus Lupin was a werewolf as she'd previously stated. He had been bitten as a child due to his father pissing off one of the werewolves loyal to the 'dark' lord. He was also mated to Sirius which was interesting since mates were supposedly illegal in England. He had spied on the werewolf packs for Dumbledore back in the first war. He was supposedly an expert on 'dark creatures' which could prove to be interesting if only because of the debates they were likely to have. He was apparently a tamed werewolf or as tamed as one could be when using Wolfsbane. And he was the second defense instructor at Hogwarts, he also apparently acted as a secondary instructor for Care of Magical creatures.

When the two showed up, Lyra felt some of her faded memories of the time before she came to the orphanage. Sirius was the shorter of the two with shaggy black hair and a trimmed beard. He looked handsome for a human with his stormy grey eyes and clean skin. He was a bit stocky and he had the beginnings of laugh lines around his mouth. Remus was tall and slightly pale with graying brown hair. He looked fierce with his golden tinted blue eyes and fading scars. He looked warn though that was understandable since the full moon had occurred a few days ago. Sirius brightened when he caught sight of her and likely would have run towards her if it hadn't been for a wary Remus holding him back. So Remus was the cautious one and Sirius was the reckless one, it made her smile slightly. Taking down the privacy charms, she strode forward with her pack following her, "Lord Black, Consort Lupin, it is a pleasure that we may finally meet. I hope that neither of you were too bothered to take time out of your day to guide to Hogwarts."

"It's no trouble at all," Sirius grinned at her, "I haven't seen you since you were a toddler, Briar,"

"My name is Lyra Silver and I would prefer it if you called me that instead as I can't remember ever going by Briar," Lyra replied earning a hurt look, "I apologize, but my memories of the time before I ended up in the orphanage are a faded blur,"

"I told you, Siri," Remus told the animagus before looking at Lyra, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant Silver. My name is Remus Lupin as you no doubt know and this is my mate Sirius Black,"

"With me are Corporal Taylin Wyldfyr, Lance Corporal Evan Dickons, Private First Class Tsuki Lane, Private First Class Malcom Ataris, and Private First Class Cain Dune," Lyra introduced as she gestured to each of them, "The dragons are as follows: My partner Karth," Karth barked at the two, "Taylin's partner Ausca," Ausca sniffed at them, "Evan's Partner Tess," Tess eyed them, "Tsuki's partner Cassian," Cassian walked forward to sniff them lightly before returning to Tsuki's side, "Malcom's partner Striker," Striker yawned and shook himself, "And Cain's partner West," West eyed them before dismissing them, "Shall we be on our way? We would like to get to Hogwarts before dark,"

"Right, follow us," Sirius took charge and led the way to the station, "Dumbledore wasn't too sure how to go about transporting your dragons, but figured using a modified train car wouldn't hurt,"

"It will be fine so long as it isn't too cramped," Lyra followed after him after glancing at Evan.

The shadow mage of the group quickly worked to ensure that no one really paid them any attention which got the two English magicals attention. They had the sense to wait until they were all on the train before asking any questions. The train car was spacious enough for everyone to have room and then some. Lyra settled heavily against Karth once her partner had gotten seated. Sirius spoke as the train began moving, "Don't you want to sit in the chairs?"

"We're more comfortable this way," Taylin answered from his place against Ausca.

"So what was that back there when we were headed to the train station?" Remus asked looking towards Evan, "I've never seen magic like that,"

"Evan's a shadow mage," Lyra answered earning confused looks, "Shadow mages can control the shadows as easily as breathing once they're trained. Evan used a simple spell to ensure that no one paid us any attention as we got onto the train. No offense, but Non-magicals aren't that stupid especially when a group of Mounted Guardians suddenly disappear,"

Evan spoke up, "There are a lot of magics that the English magical community and most countries outside of Delllea do not know of. Since magic is free, we do not have any trouble studying it as much as possible."

The English magicals looked at one another, but stayed silent for the moment. They were ignored as everyone settled down. Lyra took out the bracer she was modifying along with her stylus and a pair of tinted glasses that would protect her eyes. Once she was sure everyone had something to keep their minds occupied, she got down to her pet project. If she managed to do it correctly, she would be able to create a storage system that would allow the bracer to store magic. Once she managed that, she would work on being able to use said stored magic for various things like creating weapons or using spells so that she didn't drain herself.

* * *

It was an hour into the ride that Sirius asked, "So is it true that you're getting married to a prince?"

"No," Lyra cut off the flow of her magic heading into the stylus and let it cool down since she did need to take a break, "I am getting married, but not to a prince. Technically he still is a prince, but he isn't considered one seeing as he the last in line for the throne," She looked at the two, "Mounted Guardians do not carry the titles they had before becoming Mounted Guardians. It is one of the rules. If Taylin's family died out, he would become king, but that is very unlikely. I wouldn't become a princess or a queen. I'd be a consort,"

"How does that make any sense?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"It's one of the ways Mounted Guardians stay neutral. Only the power and titles we obtain as Mounted Guardians may be kept," Taylin reached out to take Lyra's hand as she placed down her things, "It is how we manage to stay uncorrupted,"

"For the most part," Malcom added as he looked up from the maps he was going over, "Even we can be corrupted though it's rare that anyone is stupid enough to allow it,"

Sirius shook his head, "And I thought the wizarding world had odd customs," He looked between Taylin and Lyra, "So you two are getting married?"

"We're a few years away from any form of wedding," Lyra said smiling at Taylin, "Relationships are done slowly especially once it's confirmed you'll marry someone. Weddings are serious affairs among most long lived beings especially when one partner isn't as long lived. Even with our partners, human Mounted Riders do not live forever. No one does,"

"How did this come about?" Sirius asked waving a hand between the two, "I thought the Sven royal family hated humans,"

"Not all of us hate humans," Taylin retorted tugging Lyra to him earning a grunt from Karth, "I hated them for a long time. It wasn't until we became a unit that I began to learn that they weren't so bad. Ly here headed that effort even though I was a horrible dick to her," Taylin smiled sadly, "I'm still sorry for saying that,"

"Saying sorry for something that I've long since forgiven you for is silly, my silly prince," Lyra kissed his cheek as she got comfortable against him.

"Can you two not do that?" Cain grimaced at them.

"You're just jealous that you aren't getting any," Tsuki snarked earning a scowl.

"And you are? At the very least, I have a mate," Cain snapped at her.

Before it could get any further, Taylin spoke, "Both of you."

They muttered apologies before Lyra looked back at Sirius, "Tay doesn't mind most humans."

"I assume Lyra's sire and dame have been talking?" Taylin asked earning frowns from the two wizards.

"You mean her parents?" Remus asked earning snorts.

"I only had one parent and that was my mentor," Lyra would never refer to the two as her parents, "They are my dame and sire. The two that donated their genetics and gave me my siblings. Even if I wanted to see them as more, they lost the chance the moment they abandoned me for being a bastard. In Delllea, almost everyone is a bastard as marriage isn't done often unless you're a member of the noble families. Children are accepted whether they're a bastard or not. After all, they didn't choose to be born,"

Sirius looked uncomfortable as did Remus, "I see," Sirius shook his head, "I need to know what they meant by saying you're taking Lilac away from them."

Lyra leaned into Taylin as she said, "If they do not shape up as parents within the year I am here, Lilac will be taken from their custody. She will not automatically be placed into my custody due to the fact I've just became a full fledged Mounted Guardian. It is likely she will be placed within your custody."

Remus looked confused, "Why were the deemed unfit parents?"

"Other than taking their young daughter out in the sunlight during one of the hottest season within the Sven kingdoms and not even noticing that she had gone missing along with the other children?" Lyra watched their eyes widen in shock, "They abandoned a child for being a bastard. If you need more than that, you can ask Chris and Warren. I will not allow any of my kin to suffer if I can help it," Lyra reached out and settled a hand on Karth's nose, "As I said, it will only occur if they do not improve their parenting methods,"

"They never said anything..." Sirius murmured looking angry, "Those bastards-"

"Calm down," Taylin cut him off earning a glare, "Being angry right now will do nothing to help you or this situation. You should pay more attention to Lilac and ensure she is okay. Lyra and I will be checking on her when we can since she's still recovering from heat exhaustion,"

Sirius looked ready to argue, but seemed to think of his words.

* * *

Karth bent down to allow Lyra onto his back after they got off of the train. Sirius and Remus were watching them from the gates. Lyra rubbed his scales lightly as she buckled herself in, "Ready to explore our surroundings, Buddy?"

Karth barked as he rose up to his full sight and began to look around. Luckily, the air seemed far less polluted here though she supposed it was due to the heavy magical presence. She could breath in the air without her nose aching from the pollution. She directed Karth over to the two wizards who backed up a bit looking like that were just now realizing how large her partner was. Karth snorted at them as he came to a stop and Sirius asked, "Do you have to get so close?"

"He needs to take in your scent," Lyra answered as Karth began sniffing the two, "It'll ensure that if we're on a battlefield together that he won't hurt you by accidentally mistaking you as an enemy,"

The two looked distinctly uncomfortable, but her explanation seemed to ease their worries somewhat. She didn't mention that Karth was also scenting them to ensure that neither of them carried the taint of Voldemort on them. Any of Voldemort followers carried some form of tainted magic belonging to him and vesca could smell it though trackers were always better at sniffing it out. If they ended up being enemies, it made no sense to tell them about what Karth was really doing especially since it would give them the element of surprise which was a boon in any battle. Karth moved back with a sneeze showing that he couldn't smell the taint on them. She released the grip she had on one of her hidden daggers as the other joined them. She signaled that the two weren't enemies which made everyone relax slightly. Tsuki spoke as they settled around her, "So are they going to open the gates or what?"

"Give me a moment to let them know we're here," Sirius took out his wand and cast the patronus spell using the messenger variant.

A phantasmal grimm appeared and took off towards the castle in the distance. Soon enough, the gates opened and they headed through. They stayed at a steady walking pace that allowed the two wizards to keep up with them though obviously their partners were eager to race off and explore. Despite their eagerness to explore, they understood that they had to act like the vesca of their former teachers and thus, walked towards the castle. Lyra voiced a concern that she'd had but hadn't had a chance to voice to Dumbledore, "Where will we be staying? I doubt that Hogwarts was built with vesca in mind."

"I'm not sure, but Dumbledore has been busy preparing something," Remus answered glancing back at her.

"I hope he realizes that our partners need a lot of food as do we," Taylin added with a frown.

Feeding both vesca and their partners took a lot of money, it was one of the reasons there were only training facilities in major cities since they would have the ability to support them. Every Mounted Guardian trainee were made to understand that their partners were expensive to take care of even if said partner was able to hunt for themselves. Not just any area could support a vesca, you had to be careful or you could damage the local ecosystem.

* * *

Hogwarts was massive and beautiful in a way though it had nothing on some of the places they'd seen over the years. It was much smaller than the Mounted Guardian Headquarters hidden within the Veil Mounted Range, then again, nothing was as big as that place. The castle was beautiful in an understated way whereas the Headquarters was so awe-inspiring that she couldn't put it into words. She didn't exactly like how cut off from nature it seemed, but knew that was just how most buildings outside of Delllea were. It was still a nice sight and would take getting used to. She inwardly mused that they would have a lot of fun making a map of it and the surrounding area.

They reached the castle where Dumbledore was waiting for them and were taken to a stone barn-like enclosure. It was clearly modeled after a horse stable only bigger to account for vesca's. They examined the enclosure carefully and made note of the changes they would have to make. Lyra would need to ensure that Karth's part of the enclosure had a steady supply of heat especially during the winter. She would also need to see about covering the enclosure in wards since there weren't many protections outside of elemental protection. A half-giant by the name of Hagrid was watching them with nervous awe. He had seemed to have a minor panic attack of some kind when they first saw him and he'd spent much of the walk towards the enclosure in a daze. He was the groundskeeper and the one in-charge of keeping the various magical creatures on the property healthy. She didn't mind him though she wasn't about to trust him to take care of their partners. She spoke as she turned to them, "This is...tolerable. We will have to do a lot to make it suitable for us, but the base work is good enough."

"Now, I am aware that you'd prefer to stay close to your partners and have had one of the unused Professor dorms refurbished," Dumbledore informed them earning a few glances, "You will have to share two bathrooms until such a time as the elves are able to fix the last one,"

"It's fine," Lyra assured him, "It wouldn't be the first time nor will it be the last. The most we're concerned about is what we're going to be eating. Each of our partners have specific diets that they need to eat as do we. We eat a lot,"

"I've been given guidelines about what you'll require and won't have trouble providing it," Dumbledore smiled at her, "I have also managed to obtain some Sven kingdom recipes that I hope will be to your liking,"

"Thank you," Lyra turned to her pack, "I need two of you to remain here and set things up,"

"I will," Tsuki said as Evan nodded beside her.

Lyra nodded to them and turned to Dumbledore, "Shall we go? I would like to get a good judge of our rooms and some of the area before it turns dark."

"Of course," Dumbledore turned to his half-giant employee, "See to it that you assist Lance Corporal Dickons and Private First Class Lane with getting all the vesca settled,"

"He may only watch," Evan frowned at the old man, "We do not want or need help at this time. We also do not trust anyone that hasn't been trained in the proper protocols to assist us," He turned to Lyra, "Alpha, do you wish for me to check Karth for you?"

Lyra thought about it before nodding, "Yes. Thank you," She turned to Dumbledore, "Lead the way."

* * *

The rooms were rather comfortable and would definitely be put to good use by them. Lyra and Taylin chose the biggest of the rooms since it would likely act as a meeting room for everyone not to mention they would probably bunk together for the first few days as they grew accustomed to their new surroundings. The room had a single large four poster bed set near the back wall with the bathroom not far from it. The room also contained an armoire, a vanity, a large desk, a table that would likely be used for their maps, and a set of bed side tables. She would admit that the fire place at the end of the room would take getting used to as the Sven kingdom rarely had truly cold winters. Then again, Hogwarts was in Scotland which was notoriously cold during the winters.

Lyra unpacked her weapons and placed them onto the table alongside Taylin before removing the storage device she had gotten in preparation for the trip. She took out the miniaturized weapon rack inside and placed it against the wall before tapping it with a magic coated finger causing the rack to return to it's large size. She began placing her weapons on it save for her twin short swords, "This is passable, we'll have to check to make sure that there aren't any listening devices or charms. We'll also have to go to the house elves and explain what we want them to avoid while cleaning."

"I hope that they can show us to Diagon Alley or one of the other magical trade centers," Taylin commented earning a curious look from her, "While we are prepared, our supplies aren't unlimited,"

Lyra nodded as she finished putting her weapons on the rack and moved over to the table where her bags were laid out, "We'll have to visit the Ministry of Magic at some point before school begins as well."

"I am not looking forward to that visit," Taylin began putting his weapons away as well though he kept a sword out, "Did you pack one of those potions closets?"

"Yeah," Lyra pulled one of them out of her storage device, "I packed a few so if you need another one, don't hesitate to ask,"

Once they got their room settled, they headed to the common room area and found the others waiting along with Dumbledore. Taylin spoke as they left their room, "Headmaster, we will need to speak with the house elves about what they'll need to avoid if they're to clean our rooms."

"Of course, I will show you to the kitchens. Now, it is around dinner time, shall we go collect the Lance Corporal and Private First Class?" Dumbledore asked earning a nod from Lyra and they were on their way, "I will leave deciding a password for your rooms to you. For now, it is Guardian Rider,"

"Noted," Lyra made sure to get a good look at the nymph portrait, "I assume you have questions?"

Dumbledore inclined his head, "I do. My first question is about how the Lance Corporal reacted to my request to allow Hagrid to assist in taking care of your partners."

"That is simple," Lyra looked at their surroundings and began constructing a mental map of the castle, "Our partners are our life. To allow someone who doesn't have to proper training nor knows the protocols that must be followed in order for them to take care of our partners, it is unthinkable. You may trust Hagrid, but we do not. While we are here, we may allow him to learn about how to take care of our partners, but there are limits. No matter how good he is with most magical creatures, he has no experience whatsoever with vesca," Lyra glanced at Dumbledore, "To be quite honest, it is to both protect our partners and to protect Hagrid. While they are trained, they do not enjoy being around non-riders and will become aggressive if they are too pushy,"

Dumbledore frowned, "I wasn't aware of that."

"It is common knowledge back home," Taylin replied reached out to hold Lyra's hand, "It does not occur to us to speak about it in most circumstances,"

"I see. I will inform Hagrid and make sure he is aware of the risks though I fear he may be disappointed," Dumbledore chuckled softly, "He loves dragons and probably would have tried to become a Mounted Guardian if he had the chance,"

"Those of giant blood do not normally become Guardians or Riders," Taylin replied earning a curious look, "Only the largest specimens can support their weight and normally they tend to avoid bonding with anyone. It is highly uncommon,"

"Any other questions?" Lyra asked feeling that it would be best to move onto a diffrent topic.

"May I ask how you'll structure your lessons?" Dumbledore asked seemingly not put off by the change of topic.

Lyra contemplated how to answer that before saying, "Our first few lessons will be common knowledge found within Delllea and in the Sven Kingdom. After that, it depends on the teachers. Two of us will stay here at all times unless we're required to be here for whatever reason. I ask that you keep us informed and ensure that we know of any events that require our full presence at least a week in advance."

Dumbledore seemed somewhat putout, "I see."

"Most of us are not teacher material, Headmaster," Lyra told the old man, "The only one among us that has any real qualifications is Taylin what with the fact he's our scholar. We will do our best to provide education for your students, but we are not teachers. We are fighters," She paused before saying, "You cannot expect those that are not actually teachers to teach properly. We may get lucky, but for the most part, we aren't teachers,"

"I will most likely be acting as the main lesson planner," Taylin said earning a nod from Dumbledore.

* * *

Dinner was mostly spent doing introductions with the teachers that were there. Lyra found that she didn't exactly like the English food as it was greasier than it had any right to be. She would admit to enjoying some of it though she would ultimately prefer food from home. She drank some water while listening to the conversations around her before focusing as one of the teachers, a half-goblin by the name of Filius Flitwick, asked, "Sergeant Silver, may I ask what magics you specialize in?"

"Fire, wind, and creation magic for the most part," Lyra answered after swallowing the bite of chicken she'd been chewing on, "I prefer making and modifying things that can be used to assist my pack during missions. One of the main things my mentor instilled in me was ensuring that my squad/unit/pack are well taken care of both during and after missions,"

"Who is your mentor?" Flitwick asked her curiously.

"She was Eliza Silver, the head of the thirteenth division of the Mounted Guardian Core," Lyra answered before drinking some more water while wishing for something a bit stronger, "She's the one that adopted me from the orphanage and gave me my name," Lyra's mind went back to what she remembered of those days, "She was the best parent I could ask for even if she was really busy leading her division,"

"I take it she passed away?" Flitwick asked earning a sad smile.

"She died during the boarder patrol mission gone wrong," Lyra's fingers went to her scarred arm, "Life as a Mounted Guardian isn't the easiest, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else,"

"None of us could," Malcom added with a playful grin, "It's the best life we could ask for even with the dangers ahead of us,"

"And you allowed your brothers to become Mounted Guardians despite the dangers?" One of the other Professors, a woman by the name of Minerva McGonagall, asked with a frown.

Lyra held up a hand to stall anymore questions, "First, Chris is a Dragon Rider as he bonded with a wyvern as did Hermione and Ron. Second, they were warned of the dangers that came with bonding and accepted it. No unwilling participants would ever be chosen to bond. If anything, they would die for even trying," Lyra looked at the old woman with a steady gaze, "My brothers chose their fate. It is considered an honor to bond with a vesca or a wyvern. To act as if it was a stupid decision is to denounce their worth and that of their partner," Lyra lowered her hand and sighed, "I worry for them and will do so for the rest of my life. I do not blame them for their choices and will support them."

"They are children, though," Pomona Sprout, another teacher and head of house, said with a frown.

"The moment they bonded with their partners is the moment they became adults in Delllea," Evan said earning multiple frowns, "It is a simple fact,"

"But why?" The woman asked.

"The vesca and wyvern that participate in the bonding are not children," Evan scowled at them as he spoke, "Those that bond with either are not children. The bonding isn't possible for children to participate in thus, they cannot be considered children the moment they bond with either,"

Dumbledore clapped his hands and everyone looked at him, "I believe that is enough of that for tonight. We are supposed to be welcoming our new friends."

Lyra pushed away from her chair earning looks, "I am going to go join Karth and the others if anyone needs me."

Lyra left the Great Hall quickly and made her way towards the enclosure. She paused as she heard footsteps and looked to see Taylin following after her. Once he caught up, she resumed her walk and he asked, "Are you alright?"

"It frustrates me that they could see bonding with our partners as anything other than the honor it is," Lyra ran her fingers across her scars, "It makes me burn inside at the audacity they have. I know it isn't their own fault as they do not have much if any knowledge of Mounted Guardians or Mounted Riders. I just..."

"I know," Taylin wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side as they got closer to the enclosure, "We all do,"

Lyra took a deep breath and worked to calm herself down which was made easier due to Taylin's presence, "We'll get the chance to change that. We are getting that chance, but it doesn't make it any easier especially since we can't say much of anything."

"Let's just focus on our partners and go to our rooms," Taylin suggested.

Lyra smiled softly as she said, "I think I want to stay with Karth tonight."

"Then we'll stay with our partners," Taylin decided earning a curious look, "I don't want to leave Ausca alone on the first night here or you for that matter,"

* * *

Everyone joined them two hours later with some overnight bags. Everyone got ready for bed after snacking on the snacks that the house elves helpfully brought them. Lyra laid down against her favorite spot as Tsuki commented, "It's funny, but I'm not looking forward to not sharing a room with you boys."

"Same," Cain added almost reluctantly.

"Hey, Alpha," Lyra looked at Malcom, "Do you think some of us could stay with our partners sometimes?"

"I was going to suggest it since I don't doubt that some idiots will try to get a closer look at them or fuck with them if given half a chance," Lyra admitted earning a few snorts, "We're going to do a rotation, but if you really want to stay with your partner a little bit longer, just tell me. None of us can stay every single night, but a few nights will be just fine," Lyra yawned and let her head rest against Karth's chest as she felt Taylin's fingers lace through hers, "Let's get some rest, we've had a long day and we'll be having a longer one tomorrow with everything we've got to do. Sleep well,"

Echoes of goodnight rang through the air as their partners offered their own versions of it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: A bit smaller, but I wanted to get it out. What do you all think?**

 **Reviews:  
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 **Jostanos: Just a bit, they are English magicals after all and most of the population lack logic or proper planning skills...Let's just say they're lacking a lot.**

 **BamaRose19: That they are, but they are English Magicals...You know something? I think I like bashing English magicals a bit too much.**

 **Guest: I'll answer both reviews in here:**

 **Review 1: You're fairly close though it'll be a fair few chapters before I put anything about him in.**

 **Review 2: This chapter should answer that question, but feel free to ask any more.**

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

Lyra gripped the staff in her hands as she circled with Evan. The werepanther eyed her silently as they both tensed before darting forward. The practice staffs they were using began cracking not long after they began which told her that she would have to make some new ones. Perhaps a mix of both wood and metal this time, she would miss these since they'd had them for over three years. She dodged the low sweep Evan aimed for her legs while slashing at his head with her own staff. As they worked, she heard Cain call out, "Incoming Englishmen."

Lyra dropped to the ground to avoid Evan's blows and sent a kick at his chest. Evan grunted as she managed to kick his side and send him skidding back. She smirked at him as she twirled her staff, "First hit to me."

Evan said nothing as he darted forward and they began exchanging blows. The next one to get hit was her and Evan managed a staff strike to her ribs that sent her flying back. She managed to twist her body around to get rid of some force that had sent her flying and skidded across the ground. She winced slightly from the dull pain coming from her ribs and knew that she was definitely going to have bruises. Standing up, she changed her hold on the staff while noting that it would only take a few more good hits before it shattered like glass. She would have to make this quick. Evan seemed to be of the same mind as her and they rushed towards one another. She ducked and slammed a fist into his side only to feel him kick her stomach. She ignored the pain and grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped him onto his back before pressing the butt of her staff into his throat. She heard Cain call out, "Winner Alpha."

She removed her staff and dropped to the ground next to Evan, "That was a close one."

"Agreed," Evan sat up as he put his staff down, "We need to change these out,"

"I'll make some new ones," Lyra promised earning a nod, "I'm thinking a wood and metal mix with a metal rod in the middle to prevent it from shattering like glass," Evan nodded slowly, "Of course, I'm going to have to find a metal that can withstand our hits, but won't add any unnecessary weight or make it dangerous for us to spar with them,"

"Shirts off," Taylin told them as he walked up and the two got rid of their shirts as requested.

Lyra was only wearing a black wrap beneath her shirt. Taylin looked at her in appreciation though he quickly went into healer mode. She heard a few gasps and looked up to see a few of the Professors there. She recognized Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus immediately while it took her a few minutes to figure out who the other two were while she didn't recognize the old woman that was dressed like one of those medi-witches that the continents were so fond of. One was the transfiguration Professor, Head of Gryffindor, the Deputy Headmistress, and some kind of cat animagus named Minerva McGonagall. The other was the half-goblin head of Ravenclaw and the Charms Professor named Filius Flitwick. She eyed them, "Can we help you, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore shook himself from his shock, "Ah, yes. I merely wished to further introduce you to those with me as well as introduce you to Madam Poppy Pomfrey who's the resident medi-witch. I didn't expect to see you sparring or..."

"My scars," Lyra finished earning a nod, "Well you can't really go without seeing either of them as we do need to keep up our skills and we're bound to get hurt,"

"Where did you get those?!" Sirius burst out causing Taylin to flinch a bit.

Lyra pressed a hand to Taylin's arm which was currently feeling her ribs making him relax a bit and allowed him to continue his examination. While magic could do a lot, it was sometimes better in cases like this to do things the old fashioned way at first. She glanced down at the ragged scars that ran from her left arm, down her left side, and onto her left leg where they stopped at her ankle. The scars were worse down there if only due to how close she came to losing everything below her knee. She spoke as Sirius stared at them in horror, "During our last training mission, we were attacked by an unknown creature that would have killed us all. Karth and I took the blow that would've killed Taylin and Ausca. During the attack, fourteen regular guardsmen, five dragon riders, and an experienced Mounted Guardian were killed taking it down."

"You nearly died," Dumbledore said what she hadn't earning a nod.

Taylin's fingers dug into her skin and she hissed softly making him pull back with a guilty look. She pulled him into a kiss and pressed their foreheads together. It took a few moments for them to calm down and relax. Taylin returned to healing her and Evan. Lyra looked at Dumbledore, "Please give the introductions please."

"Of course," Dumbledore offered the names of those with him and did the same for the Mounted Guardians before turning back to Lyra, "I had hoped that you might be willing to allow Madam Pomfrey and Corporal Wyldfyr to spend time with one another. I feel that they could teach one another quite a bit,"

"Your choice, Tay," Lyra told him earning a low hum.

Taylin finished checking them over and began smearing their bruises with one of his remedies, "I suppose it can't hurt, but she is to understand that my patients aren't to be touched unless I allow it," Madam Pomfrey nodded, "I would also like to warn her to not touch our dragons especially Karth."

"May I ask why?" Madam Pomfrey asked earning a few looks, "I only wish to understand the situation,"

Taylin looked towards Lyra and she thought about it for awhile before nodding. Hopefully, it would help ensure that if one of those brats tried something with Karth and got hurt, they wouldn't try to punish the vesca for protecting him. Once Taylin gave her the all clear, she got up and headed over to where Karth way laying down. He immediately sat up and moved to settle on the rocks in a way that would allow her to remove his prostheses. It was something she needed to do anyway to give him a deeper check especially with their recent boat trip and exposure to the sea. Taylin followed her over as did the Englishmen though they stayed back a healthy distance. With nimble fingers, she undid the latches and released Karth's front leg prosthesis earning a low rumble from Karth. While he like the prostheses, they could could a bit uncomfortable if he wore them for more than a week at a time.

Lyra heard a gasp and she said, "I was lucky to not lose any limbs though it was close. We're lucky that Karth's body didn't reject the prostheses and he adapted to them otherwise, I would either be bed ridden for the rest of my life or dead."

They ran through a check for all of Karth's prostheses and were glad to find that they were in perfect condition. Lyra made sure to rub around the areas where scales met metal while sending out gentle pulses of her magic. It would ease any tension and soothe the aches that were no doubt there. Once they were finished checking him over, the prostheses were reattached. Remus spoke as they moved back, "I'm surprised they didn't force you to retire."

Lyra snorted along with her pack, "There is no such thing as retiring from the Mounted Guardians. Those who are old, too injured, or have children, become teachers though even they are pulled for missions if there is a great need for them. The only retirement is death not that we would accept anything else."

"We're happy with that," Tsuki added as she and Malcom moved to the middle of the sand circle they'd made not even an hour ago when they were looking for a place to train, "We pride ourselves on being the best of the best,"

"What are you planning to do if and when you have a child?" Madam Pomfrey asked looking at Lyra and Tsuki.

"Continue on as long as I can," The two female Guardians answered automatically.

"Once we cannot or it becomes too dangerous for us to continue active duty, our pack will be placed on the inactive roster where we will either continue our studies or offer our assistance to the various branches within the core," Lyra continued as Tsuki began sparring with Malcom, "We will return to active duty once our children turn at least five,"

"That sounds like you're a military," Sirius complained.

"That's because the core is a military only unlike any one you've every encountered before," Taylin said as Lyra settled down against Karth allowing the gel time to seep into her skin, "The core may work for the various kingdoms of Delllea, but at our heart, we are one single military. Should the time come and Delllea is threatened, we will band together as one and fight the threat,"

Lyra relaxed against Karth enjoying the warmth radiating off of her partner. McGonagall spoke up next, "You mentioned that only Lilac would be able to inherit the Potter family headship. I still do not understand why that is."

"We have no need for titles within the Mounted Guardians save for those we earn while in service," Lyra said while wondering how often she would have to go over this, "Adding on, Chris, Warren, and the other two are now members of the Sven kingdom in Delllea after they bonded with their partners. Because of this fact and the fact that they are members of the core, they cannot accept a headship from outside the country even if they were the last of their houses. It's like if you married into the royal family of another country, you would have to give up the citizenship you have of your home country," She could tell they were skeptical, "It is also magically impossible,"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked with a frown.

Lyra took out one of her stylus and began playing with it to keep her irritation down, "The magic of the Mounted Guardians and Dragon Riders prevent us from being tied to any single noble house or people. It is to keep us neutral. We may be bound to serve the kingdoms of Delllea, but it is because we're bound to Delllea itself. Taylin may become king if his entire family is wiped out, but only to keep order until another king or queen can take over," She noticed that they were beginning to understand, "If we even try, our bodies will be ripped apart from the inside out by not only our own magic, but the magic of our partners and the ancient magic that binds us together," The Englishmen flinched earning an amused look, "It is a simple fact. Otherwise, I would have taken the Potter family headship from my dame and sire while ensuring that my siblings were well taken care of. Of course," Lyra reached for her shirt after checking to make sure the gel had been fully absorbed into her skin and pulled it back on, "Any children my siblings and I have may be eligible for the heir-ship and headship so long as they do not become one of us."

"I am going to guess that this is another one of those things everyone in Delllea knows?" Sirius asked earning a nod, "Just how many things are common knowledge back there?"

"A lot which is why all the first classes we have will be giving the students a test on their knowledge of the known world and what they know of magic," Taylin answered earning a few nods from the Professors, "We're also going to be going over safety tips for the class,"

Lyra looked at Dumbledore as she said, "We're going to be doing a three strikes system towards all students regardless of house. If someone gets all three strikes, they'll be tossed from the class and not allowed back no matter what."

Dumbledore grimaced as he nodded, "I was made of aware of that fact. I was planning to make an announcement at the feast."

"Best before they start eating," Lyra said earning a confused look, "It will sink in better as well as give them more time to comprehend everything," She then glanced towards the spar where Malcom was slowly, but surely winning, "We will also be doing a small demonstration to show the students some of what a Mounted Guardian can do. Based on what my siblings and their friends have told me, England doesn't know much about us and tends to demonize us,"

"You would be correct which brings me to another reason I've come to speak with you," Dumbledore looked a bit sheepish, "The ministry of magic has decided to send an observer. The story on that is that the ministry wishes to see what Hogwarts offers its students and attempt to find ways to make the school better,"

"They're trying to find ways to discredit you and put someone of their choosing in charge," Evan said earning a nod from Dumbledore, "It's a ploy that many governments try or those trying to take over a government would try,"

Tsuki smirked as she dodged a staff strike from Malcom, "Hey, Tay. Looks like you'll have to deal with a boot-licker!"

Taylin offered Tsuki a withering look as Sirius asked, "Why do you say that?"

"The English Ministry has been attempting to reinstate the treaty that once existed between the Sven Kingdom and the English magical community," Taylin answered with a grimace earning a surprised look from Sirius and Remus, "As the Sven Kingdom has the fewest rules when it comes to trade and some of the best resources, it is considered the best of the Delllea Kingdoms to trade with. The Sven Kingdom used to supply England with many magic devices and magics while the treaty was active. Since then, the English magical country has suffered in terms of development,"

"What broke the treaty?" Remus asked looking a Taylin with a frown, "None of the books were clear on that,"

"One of the 'Pureblood' lords of the time offered my sister a great insult and refused to admit it," Taylin answered with a low growl and a dark frown, "As a result, the treaty was never renewed. It will not be until the Ministry offers a formal apology, we have an actual reason to renew it in a way that benefits both, the bastard that insulted my sister is killed, or he apologies. Two of those things must occur or there will be no renewal unless there is a new government,"

"What did he do?" Sirius asked curiously.

Taylin began seething at the memory and Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder while pulling him to her. He leaned into her and began to work on calming down as Lyra said, "He basically called Tay's sister a whore and a brood mare creature that should be glad to service a higher being such as him among other things. He's very lucky the King or any of Tay's family didn't kill him. While the Princess isn't as well liked as she could be, the fey do not take well to their family being insulted especially by humans much less a bigoted asshole."

Lyra rubbed Taylin's back and began to hum softly knowing that it calmed him down. Even with his new opinion on humans, the reminder of the one that had insulted his sister so badly always brought back his rage at not being able to kill the bastard. Pressing a kiss his cheek, she felt him begin to relax which made her smile. Despite all the trouble they have gone through, they were able to calm one another down in ways that their pack couldn't which was a reason why their teachers had placed them together as partners for most of training exercises after they had become friends. She was torn from her inner musings when there was a loud crack followed by two yelps of pain. Looking to the sparring duo, she winced at the sight of the shattered wood staff and the pieces of wood that were now embedded into her pack mate's skin. She muttered, "Well, I guess that gives me even more of a reason to make new staves for us."

"Alpha?" Tsuki said as Taylin let go of Lyra and rushed over to them.

"Yeah, 'Suki?" Lyra looked at her in concern.

"Shut the hell up," Tsuki growled at her earning a nod.

Everyone save for Sirius looked shocked by Tsuki's language especially considering she was talking to her superior. Professor McGonagall turned to Lyra, "You're going to allow her to speak to you in such a way?"

"She is one of my pack, is a dear friend, and is currently in pain, so yes," Lyra looked at the Professors, "So long as we aren't in a situation that calls for us to be in Guardian mode or the situation needs us to be serious, we will act as we please. Of course, we will keep our antics professional when your students arrive which reminds me," She focused on Dumbledore, "I believe two to three weeks should be long enough for your students to get over us being here and for us to get down to business. Does that sound alright to you?"

Dumbledore inclined his head, "Indeed though if I may ask, how will you be doing things?"

"Two of us will be stationed here at a time with a third sometimes joining in depending on the situation," Lyra fell into what was called 'report mode' by the Mounted Guardians which could be seen by her blank face and monotone voice, "Four of us will always be out and about. A pair will focus on gathering information while a second pair will be investigating said information. We will also be taking care of any side missions that may be thrown at us by the Order due to where we are located as is common practice. It is up to me to decide who goes on what missions as well as what will occur once all information has been verified," She blinked and came back to herself, "Any questions?"

"First, what was that?" Sirius spoke before Dumbledore could, "You were like a golem or something,"

"I fell into what's lovingly called 'Report Mode'," Lyra answered earning a confused look, "It is part of the training we receive as Mounted Guardians though I believe the Riders share this skill and a few others. To put it plainly, we are trained to push our emotions into the background so that we may get all information across no matter how bad or how heart-wrenching it is for the reporter," It hadn't been fun learning that along with the other stuff they had to learn for covert operations, "There are a few other mental states that we learn to use during our training, but it is not something to be discussed with outsiders,"

"Of course," Dumbledore inclined his head, "What will happen if only three of you go out?"

"The third person will join the other two whether it means ferreting out information or investigating it," Lyra answered as she pressed a hand to Karth's head when he laid it across her lap for a scratch session, "If not for that, they will probably be acting as a courier,"

"And what will you do once the information is verified?" Dumbledore asked and Lyra looked at him coldly.

"We do what we were hired to do and take out any who are connected to the snake," Lyra answered earning a few gasps, "Children and those that do not work for him willingly will be sparred, but no others. We will not tolerate your pet death eater or any of your people getting in our way. Anyone who tries will be knocked out though your pet death eater will likely find himself dead," Dumbledore was pale as were the other Englishmen, "Adding on, your pet death eater will be staying as far away from us as possible. He will not be allowed near us or our dragons. If he does come near us without a reason or we deem him a threat, we shall extract any information from him and kill him. We will not allow a security risk such as him cause us any problems if we may prevent them," She scratched underneath Karth's chin making sure to avoid the small needle sharp spikes that covered the edge of his jaws, "The only reason he is not dead yet is due to the fact I am unsure how much of a danger he is to us and not wanting to start the mission off killing someone that we may need to pump for information later,"

"I...I see," Dumbledore bowed his head earning a few gasps, "I will warn Severus,"

"Do tell him that if I find out that he is responsible for any students from his house attempting to harm either my pack or our partners, I will not hesitate to end not only his life, but that of the students," And more gasps were given.

"Sergeant Silver, is it necessary to-" Professor Flitwick began only for her to cut him off.

"We are here to end the threat not play teacher nor nurse maid to a bunch of children that are old enough to choose for themselves," Lyra looked at each of the adults with a frown, "Our partners and pack mates are our life. We will not allow any harm to come to one of us if we can avoid it," She eased up a bit knowing that she was being slightly harsh, "So long as the students aren't aiming to kill our partners or ourselves, we will not kill them. If they do not know something will hurt us, we will not kill them. The moment they do anything with the intention to either harm or kill us, we will react as we see fit," She felt tired of this conversation, "For now, I think it would be best if you all leave. We need to get used to this place,"

"Of course," Dumbledore began pushing them to leave, "Do you wish for the house elves to deliver your meals to you today?"

"Yes," Lyra didn't even need to think about it.

Dumbledore quickly left with his fellows and Lyra allowed herself to slump against Karth with a tired groan. Cain snorted softly, "Well Alpha, that went fairly well considering the fact you openly admitted that we'd be killing off the more stupid members of gene pool before they could create more of themselves."

"Cain," Lyra ran a hand through her hair, "If you weren't so far away and I had more energy, I would kick your ass so hard you won't want Evan to fucking touch you for a month,"

Cain winced and took a few steps away from her. Taylin dropped down beside her after he finished taking care of Tsuki and Malcom, "It could've gone better, but it is best that we got that out of the way now," Lyra immediately moved to lean against him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I think that for today, we should stick around here and relax,"

Lyra looked at each of her pack-mates and earned nods showing that they agreed with Taylin, "So long as everyone is in agreement, we'll do just that after we get a little work done. Tay, you and Cain will still be sparring, but don't use the staves. So long as you're careful and avoid causing permanent injury, you'll use your live weapons. Evan," He looked at her, "Get me some samples of the wood that they have here. Malcom," He raised his head from where he was currently sprawled out on the ground which didn't actually look comfortable what with his wings, "I want you to contact the local outpost and get some metals. I'll get you a list of what I want in a few minutes. Tsuki, I want you to start laying down some basic wards around the enclosure though leave room for everyone to add something," Tsuki grunted softly, "I will be mirror calling my brothers as well as write our arrival report. I need all of you to write down your own views of what has happen so far. Once I have those, I can put together a report from all of us along with sending in our individual reports."

"Work, joy," Tsuki groaned out earning a few snorts.

* * *

Lyra leaned back against Karth as she took out her mirror and called Chris. He answered soon enough, "Hello?"

"Hey, Chris," He looked worn out, "How's it been going?"

"They're testing our physical conditions," Ouch that was not fun at all, "It's sucks,"

"Everyone has to go through it especially since it gives your teachers a good understanding of what you can do and where you need improvement," Lyra offered earning a sullen look, "It'll get better soon enough. I promise it'll get better just do your best,"

Chris sighed deeply, "I know, but that doesn't help with how crappy I feel right now."

"I understand. Going through that part of the exams was horrible even with my mentor training me up," Lyra shuddered as she remembered just how much pain her ten year old self had been by the end of those exams.

"That reminds me," Chris looked at her curiously, "How come you never call your mentor mother?"

Letting out a soft sigh, Lyra said, "My mentor wasn't a very maternal person despite taking me in and was uncomfortable being addressed as mother. There were more reasons, it isn't my place to say. I loved her as my mother. Of that, you can be sure, but I didn't call her mother. The only time I did was when I was really sick."

"Did you want to call her mother?" Chris asked looking a bit sad.

Lyra smiled softly, "Every day since a year after she took me in. She was very much the mother figure I wanted, but she wasn't comfortable with me calling her that."

Chris began to smile, "You two were really close, huh?"

"As close as we could be with her being a division leader," One of the most feared, "Other than the exams, how has it been?"

Chris grimaced lightly, "I almost miss Hogwarts. You weren't kidding about humans being disliked here especially us Englishmen."

"It'll get better. You just have to prove yourself to them," It was what she did and look at how many friends she had among her former trainees, "It'll just take time,"

Chris gained a curious look, "Lyra, is what they said about us gaining our partner's life span correct?"

"It is which is another reason why the Order has been as strong as it has since it began all those years ago," Lyra reached out to rub Karth's head as he yawned, "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I also learned about why you said that you weren't going to take the heir position from me and how it falls to Lilac," Lyra winced at that, "I'm actually kind of glad. I never actually wanted to be Lord Potter even when I was a big headed jerk," Chris ran a hand through his shaggy hair, "Lyra, how is she?"

"I haven't managed to see her yet since we only arrived in England yesterday and need to get used to our surroundings first," Lyra replied knowing that he was asking about Lilac, "I did meet Remus and Sirius. I don't have much to say about them. While they haven't made the best impression, they don't seem like bad guys. I'm just going to be busy keeping Tsuki and Evan from ripping him apart when they get a chance,"

Chris paled at that, "Why?"

Lyra offered him a sheepish smile, "Werewolves especially from England aren't well liked in Delllea due to the fact they are not connected to their wolf like they should be. Tsuki is a wolf shifter and Evan a werepanther. To their species, it's a sin to not be connected to your inner beast. There is more to it, I'm just not the person to talk to about it."

Chris shook his head as shouts sounded, "Right. They're calling us for the next test. Are you going to call Warren and Carter next?"

"Given that they're likely on the same schedule as you, I'll do it later," Lyra would have more advice to offer them, "When you eat lunch, do it slowly and try to avoid anything really heavy otherwise you'll puke. Oh and no matter how tired you at night, you need to stretch otherwise you'll be too cramped in the morning to get up,"

"Thanks, I guess," Chris shook his head, "Talk to you later, Sis,"

"Do your best and good luck. Love ya, Chris," Lyra replied before she ended the call and Karth let out a soft huffing sound, "I do love my siblings, Karth, even if I haven't known them for long. Don't judge me," Karth nudged her and let out a low grumble, "I love ya too, you big ol' lizard,"

Karth snorted and promptly got up causing her to fall into the ground with a yelp. She pouted at her partner earning a few cuffing and barking sounds that constituted as laughter. Rolling her eyes, she got up and rubbed her ass as Taylin walked over, "Have a fun talk?"

"You can say that," Lyra hugged him when he reached her and pressed a kiss to his chin.

He leaned down to kiss her softly, "Well, we have reports to write. How about we write them together then go on a little stroll?"

"That sounds fantastic," Lyra let go of him, "Maybe we can go see those House Elves again and see if we can't get some snacks?"

"Trying to butter me up for something?" Taylin asked with a teasing grin.

"Maybe I want to break in our bed tonight or the table or maybe some other parts of our rooms," Yeah Lyra was just a bit horny and the fact they didn't have much to do today left her mind in places it probably wasn't wise to go to while on a mission.

Taylin let out a laugh and kissed her soundly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Here's the next chapter.**

 **Reviews:  
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 **Jostanos: I couldn't find it at first, but eventually corrected it. Yes, yes they should. Turning into Kakashi Jos? My, my, my do you have a certain orange book?**

 **moon kitty 87: Thanks and I don't know why either. I'm just happy to put out the story regardless of how many reviews I have. I've seen the same thing happen to other stories like mine where there isn't really any crossovers or the writer is a bit too new. Either way, I'm very glad to hear they you've enjoyed the story so far.**

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

Fingers curled around the edge of the desk, Lyra's head was thrown back as a sharp cry left her. Taylin pulled away from her with a chuckle as he licked his glistening fingers. She breathed out a sigh as her fingers loosened their grip on the desk. A knock sounded on the door and Taylin grabbed a towel to clean his fingers as Lyra covered herself with his jacket. Taylin opened the door, "Ah, Headmaster, what can we do for you?"

"I was hoping that we might be able to speak," Dumbledore said looking at Taylin curiously.

"Give Lyra a few minutes to join us," Taylin said as Lyra got off of the desk and headed into the bathroom with a change of clothes, "How are you today, Headmaster?"

"I am well and you two?" Dumbledore asked as Lyra listened to him enter the room.

"We're good especially as Lyra's side has finished healing," Taylin had been more than a little pleased to discover that fact which had led to the position that she'd been in before Dumbledore had arrived, "She'll be able to work on strengthening herself,"

Lyra cleaned herself up and pulled on her clothes before heading out of the bathroom, "Good morning, Headmaster."

"Good morning to you as well, Sergeant Silver," Dumbledore replied with a light smile.

Lyra shook her head lightly, "While in our personal rooms and when no discussing business, you may refer to me as Lyra."

Taylin nodded at her words, "You may call me Taylin."

Dumbledore smiled warmly, "Then call me Albus."

"Shall we sit down?" Lyra suggested as she waved a hand towards the couches that she'd set up.

Dumbledore took a seat on one of them as Taylin and Lyra took the other. The wizened wizard let out a soft sound of surprise before sinking into the comfortable leather, "These are very comfortable."

A house elf appeared with tea for them as Lyra said, "They made of Colu leather and feathers. They cost me quite a few Feathers."

Colu were rather large bear-like creatures that had feathers rather than fur covering their large bodies. They were flightless. Many of them were domesticated and kept as beasts of burden. The leather produced from the Colu were some of the strongest and most supple leathers on the market. It helped that the Colu tended to breed like rabbits though it took two and a half years for them to reach adult hood. Dumbledore looked at the leather in surprise, "I'd heard the rumors of the leather being comfortable, but didn't put much stock in them."

"No one can really blame you especially considering that Colu are only native to certain parts of Delllea," Taylin poured her some tea, "Now, how may we help you, Albus?"

"As you no doubt know, the students will be arriving tonight," Dumbledore said earning two nods, "I was hoping to discuss how you wished to be introduced,"

Lyra smiled lightly as Taylin chuckled, "We were discussing that just last night with our pack. With your permission, we were hoping to hide beneath some spells and when you speak of us, we appear in bursts of smoke then introduce ourselves."

"That sounds fairly simple," Dumbledore looked between them curiously.

Lyra snorted softly, "Trust me, we had other plans, but each were a bit much. This is the only one that wouldn't result in the Great Hall being destroyed or the students being mentally scarred."

"Not to mention, it'll allow us to have plenty of room to teach them later on," Taylin added earning a slow nod from Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked a bit wary at the mention of mentally scarring his students and Lyra couldn't blame him. Cain, Tsuki, and surprisingly enough, Evan had offered quite a few ideas that would have permanently scarred the kids. Keeping things kid friendly, the 'United Kingdom' version was a bit hard for them all. Delllea wasn't for the faint of heart. By the time you turned five, you'd have probably seen at least five or more people die. Even Taylin had trouble offering ideas that wouldn't mentally scar the kids, the one that had come up with the rather simple entrance was Malcom. Shaking her head, Lyra asked, "Was there anything else, Albus?"

"I was actually hoping that we could get to know one another," Dumbledore replied earning surprised looks from the two Mounted Guardians, "It has become quite clear over the last few weeks and even during my time in the Sven kingdom that I do not know much about the Mounted Guardians. I wish to correct that oversight and hopefully make it easier on everyone,"

Lyra and Taylin looked at one another. It hadn't been something they'd been expecting from Dumbledore, but perhaps that was an oversight on their part. Taylin shrugged lightly and she nodded before turning back to Dumbledore. She said, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. It actually reminds me of something I need to ask of you. On October 8th, we will need to have off as it is the Day of the Fallen. It is a day of meditation and reflection,"

"That is one of the core's holidays, is it not?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Not a holiday, but a day of mourning," Lyra replied with a slight frown as she thought about it, "It is a day to remember those that have passed and reflect over the lessons that you've learned over the years,"

Ever since her mentors death, Lyra spent that day in silence. The mornings were spent in solitude while the nights were spent together with her pack. Taylin spoke as she fell silent thinking about it, "We will also require no sustenance or water on the day. The same for our partners."

Dumbledore looked a bit surprised by that, "I will warn the elves though if I may ask, why?"

"It is to cleanse ourselves of negative feelings while also allowing the good ones to come forth," Taylin answered as he placed a hand on her knee squeezing lightly, "We will also be conducting a minor ritual. It isn't anything big. We just sacrifice some food and wine,"

"If you'd like," Lyra spoke softly, "I can get you a book about the Day of the Fallen if you would like. It won't have too many specifics, but it will offer some clarity to the situation,"

"I'd like that," Dumbledore inclined his head, "Are there any other days you will need off to observe your traditions?"

"No," Lyra shook her head, "On the days that someone has a tradition to go through, it will be easy to cover for them. We will mention it if something comes up,"

"Do you celebrate Yule?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"No. We do celebrate Midwinter, but it isn't a big deal," Lyra hadn't actually celebrated it until after she'd bonded with Karth mostly because her mentor never saw the point in celebrating it.

They went on to discuss some of the similarities that Delllea shared with the other magical communities as well as some of the major differences.

* * *

Due to the fact it was technically a formal event, the Mounted Guardians were required to wear their best uniforms. Lyra tugged on the edge of her tunic and eyed herself in the mirror. She looked almost professional as she was currently not wearing her boots nor was her hair put up. She looked up as Taylin exited the bathroom carefully tugging his hair into his favored pony-tail, "You're looking professional, Tay."

"You are too," Taylin replied moving over to her, "You're only missing your boots and braids,"

"Mhmm," Lyra grabbed her brush and began running it through her hair feeling the knots come undone as her hair straitened, "We have about thirty minutes before we need to be in the great hall and another before we need to be in place,"

Taylin took the brush from her and finished brushing out her long hair, "We have just enough time to finish getting ready and meet up with everyone while going over the plan one more time."

"Tonight's going to be interesting," Lyra smiled as Taylin began braiding her hair.

Lyra could do it herself, but she loved having Taylin do it especially since he liked doing it. It soothed them both and offered them a sense of peace. She closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of his fingers in her hair. Eventually, a knock sounded on the door and she called out, "Come in."

"Almost done?" Tsuki asked as she walked in with Malcom following her.

"Just need to get my boots on and my hair done," Lyra opened her eyes, "Cain and Evan?"

"Pretty sure they're going to be cutting it a bit close since Cain needed to feed," Malcom answered earning eye rolls from everyone.

"Sometimes, I think he purposefully forgets to feed before special events just to get Evan worked up," Tsuki complained as she plopped down on one of the couches with Malcom taking a seat next to her, "Oh," The wolf-shifter groaned softly and sank into the leather with a pleased look on her face, "I forgot you had these,"

Lyra snickered as Taylin finished braiding her hair and she moved over to the couch to pull on her boots, "They were buried in one of the cupboards back in my old room. I actually forgot about them for awhile especially since I didn't really use them."

"I'm still going to steal one of these from you," Tsuki said earning a trio of snorts, "I really am,"

"No, you won't," Malcom shook his head, "You always said that, but never did,"

Tsuki shot a glare at him before looking at Lyra, "So, Alpha. Are we really doing that kinda lame entrance?"

Lyra laced up her boots as she said, "Yes. It's the only one that won't mentally scar the kids...Well, it won't severely scar them."

Kids did have irrational fears after all. Malcom perked up a little at the sight of her lacing up her boots, "Your side done healing?"

"Yup. Now I can focus on strengthening myself up again," Lyra tied her boots and leaned back against Taylin as he wrapped an arm around her waist, "It's going to be fun getting my flexibility back,"

Considering the fact that she had to be extremely flexible for some of the maneuvers she'd been taught not to mention some of the higher blacksmithing techniques, Lyra was not looking forward to the amount of time it would take to regain her flexibility. The looks of pity she was given by her pack showed that they knew that it would not be fun for her. She looked up as Cain and Evan entered the room. The werepanther was looking more than a little annoyed with his smirking vampire companion. She spoke as they got settled, "Cain, I would prefer it if you avoiding waiting until the last minute to feed. If you do not have a genuinely good reason for it, I will be punishing you."

Cain winced looking a bit pale, "I'll avoid doing so again."

"Now," Lyra looked at each member of her pack, "Starting tonight, the students of Hogwarts will be here meaning that we will need to show some caution. We will need to act professional. It will not be long until the snake and his followers learn of our being here. We won't be able to hide the reason we're here for very long after that point. With any hope, my relation to my kin will not be discovered, but there is a chance that won't happen which will make our targets focus on me,"

"Which is really a mixed bag," Malcom commented earning nods, "If they focus on you, the rest of us won't be paid much attention to and we'll be able to do a lot. On the other hand, it puts you in a lot of danger,"

"They'll also become suspicious since we're here rather than Chris and the others," Evan pointed out.

Lyra sighed deeply, "Talking about it won't help us, we should get going. There isn't much time for us to go get our partners and get into position."

* * *

Dumbledore beamed at them as they entered the great hall, "Good evening, All!"

"Good evening, Headmaster," Lyra dipped her head as she scanned the small crowd of teachers while making note of the fact that Hagrid was missing, "I suppose Mr. Hagrid is getting the first years?"

"That he is," Dumbledore waved a hand at them, "Please get into position. After the festivities, I will be giving proper introductions for both staff and Mounted Guardians,"

"Hem, Hem, Headmaster?" A woman dressed in far too much pink and looking almost like a toad-shifter only larger frowned at them, "May I ask why they are here?"

Dumbledore frowned slightly at the woman, "Delores, I will explain at the feast."

Lyra looked at the woman with a bit of interest along with the others. Even in Delllea, Delores Jane Umbridge had been making a name for herself and it wasn't a good one. Even if Werewolves weren't generally liked, no one deserved the shit she was putting them through in England. The fact that she had attempted to do the same with many other magical beings had left many baying for her blood. It was only the fact she never traveled to Delllea or committed any crimes that no one had been sent to execute her. If anything came from this mission, they might actually be able to gain enough evidence to kill the toad.

Lyra held up a hand and gestured to where they would be waiting, "You know what to do. Let's get this done."

Lyra headed towards the position she shared with Taylin. They each took up position on either side of the teachers table. Tsuki and Malcom took the area by the doors. Evan and Cain took the area in the middle of the room. They began layering illusions over their positions once they were settled before Lyra grabbed her smoke pellets. They would produce enough smoke to completely cover Karth and her for a few seconds before dissipating leaving no sign that there was even a pellet in the first place and turned on her comm. It had taken forever to create even with the help of Cain and working off the recipe of the smoke pellets that the Core generally used. As it was, the improved version was still being tested by the researchers of the core. Depending on how it went, Cain and her would actually get a rather generous sum of money added to their pay-checks on top of a decent amount for the discovery. Shaking her head clear of those thoughts, she called out, "Crimson Flare, checking in."

"Sea's wrath, checking in," Cain called out.

"Ghostly Blade, checking in," Taylin called out.

"Moon's Blessing, checking in," Tsuki called out.

"Angelic Silver, checking in," Malcom called out.

"Darkness Creeps, checking in," Evan called out.

"Everyone's illusions in place?" Lyra asked earning calls of yes, "And smoke pellets?"

"Yup," Tsuki sounded like she was grinning, "I still can't believe Cain and you figured out how to make improved ones that actually work and don't smell like complete shit. Well, I can believe you did it, Alpha,"

Cain growled softly, "One of these days, Lane. One of these days."

"Bring it, Leech," Tsuki growled in return.

"Both of you," Lyra cut in before it could get any further, "The kids will be arriving any moment. I want comm silence until I give the order,"

"Yes, Alpha," The group chorused.

The teachers had moved to their table with McGonagall leaving the room during their conversation. The giant wooden doors opened and allowed in the first of the students.

* * *

Many of the students were confused when they didn't see the golden trio, quite a few of them were wondering if Chris hadn't been lying and Voldemort had actually returned. If so, was Chris Potter dead? The sorting passed as many students shifted uneasily at the thought. Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and spoke, "Before we begin the feast, I have an announcement to make. Due to a recent trip to the magical land of Delllea, I have learned that we do not know as much about the Mounted Guardian core as we should. So, I have made a decision to allow a group of six Mounted Guardians to take up residence at the castle both to guard us and to teach us what Mounted Guardians really are."

Suddenly, smoke went up in six parts of the great hall. Six Mounted Guardians in full uniform appeared a top their dragon partners earning screams from the students.

* * *

Lyra refrained from picking at her ears at the how loud some of the students screamed. Karth shook his head with a low growl, but moved as she directed him to walk over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled at her as she had Karth settle beside the old man before he looked at the students who were slowly calming down. Dumbledore set off of a few fire works from his wand before speaking to the now silent students, "I would like to introduce Sergeant Lyra Silver and her partner Karth," Karth bowed with her earning a few curious murmurs, "Corporal Taylin Wyldfyr," Ausca bowed as the pure-bloods began whispering and shooting Taylin looks of awe, "Lance Corporal Evan Dickons," Tess bowed lightly, "Private First Class Tsuki Lane," Cassian bowed lightly, "Private First Class Malcom Ataris," Striker bowed as many gave Malcom's wings wide eyed looks, "And Private First Class Cain Dune," West bowed lightly, "Now I will give Sergeant Silver the chance to speak."

Dumbledore moved back a bit and Lyra had Karth walk forward a little as she cast a spell that would allow all to hear her voice. She looked out at the students as she spoke, "As your Headmaster has says, My name is Sergeant Lyra Silver. My vesca partner is Karth," Karth snorted softly, "I do not plan to speak for long as you are all no doubt hungry and wish to speak to your friends about what you got up to this summer. My unit and I will do our best to educate you on not only the Mounted Guardian Core, but also Delllea. It is the hope of King Vallian and the Mounted Guardian Core's council that we may find a reason to renegotiate trade between the magical United Kingdoms and the Sven Kingdom," Well that was the lie that they were spinning to cover their reason for being here, "Now, I will give you a few warnings and end this speech so that we may eat," She could tell Karth was getting a bit antsy and wanted to eat something, "First: No student is allowed near our partners without permission from not only one of us, but myself and the vesca that you're attempting to be near. Second: Anyone caught attempting to go near our partners for any reason will be taken to your head of house depending on why. Third: If anyone attempts to harm one of my unit or our partners for any reason, you will be killed without any questions," Gasps rang out and fear leaked over everyone's faces, "I can see what you're thinking and no, you will not be killed if it is an accident, but a proper punishment will be decided by us. Any other rules will wait until classes have started."

Lyra undid the spell and Karth moved back. Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Now with that, I believe its time to eat."

Lyra guided Karth to the area that their partners would be eating at and went through the process of unstrapping herself from the saddle. Getting off, she waited for her pack to gather around her and they headed to the table. It had apparently been extended to allow them to sit down. Lyra took her seat beside Professor Flitwick as Taylin sat down beside her. Once they'd all taken seats and filled up their plates, Lyra started eating and Professor Flitwick commented, "I'm rather surprised that you made that last announcement."

"They needed to know," Lyra replied once she swallowed the food in her mouth and taken a drink of water, "We will not be accused of leaving out information. It is best they learn where we stand now then have one of us hurt later,"

"It won't win you any favors when they owl their parents," Professor McGonagall commented earning a shrug.

"They are here not their parents. It is not their parents choice what is taught here and if they do not want their child in our class, then the child will be taken out of class," Lyra wasn't about to teach someone that didn't want to be taught, "If the child wishes to take the class regardless of what their parents say, they will take the class. If the parents don't want their children to die, they should teach them to obey the rules,"

Professor Flitwick shook his head before asking, "How are Chris and the others doing?"

Lyra smiled lightly, "They are experiencing regret at the fact they haven't trained their bodies physically. It would be harder on them if they had, but they still regret it."

"So you focus on physical training?" Professor Flitwick asked earning a nod.

"No. It is an even mix of physical and magical training," Lyra wasn't going to go very deep into that subject, "They will be cursing me soon enough for not warning them about the stretches they would be learning among other things to become as flexible as possible,"

That was one of the worst parts the training at least in the beginning, the worst part would always be the first few camping trips through the creature infested Li Yan Jungle filled with gigantic trees and swamps. Lyra still had nightmares of not only the massive mosquito, but also the gigantic beetles, snakes, and screaming squirrels. She would never look at squirrels the same way again. Shivering at those thoughts, she looked at Taylin as he said, "The first year or so is mostly preparation and getting to know your partner. It can be fairly easy, but sometimes there are problems."

"You don't always click with your partner even after bonding," Lyra took a bite of her shredded pork, "It mostly occurs when your personality is a bit too...matching?"

Taylin nodded lightly, "By the end of the training, you usually don't have many problems. It mostly occurs in those older than sixteen."

"Is that why there are rules against having those older than seventeen try to bond with dragons?" Professor Flitwick asked earning a nod, "I suppose it makes sense though what happens if someone bonds with a dragon or wyvern when they are older than that,"

Lyra paused slightly before saying, "Most tend to work on the reserves and are trained as best as they can be. It is rare that anyone older than the age of sixteen bond with a vesca or wyvern."

Taylin changed the conversation, "Professor Flitwick, could you tell us more about the subject you teach here? While we have quite a few branches of magic back in Delllea, we do not categorize them as you do."

Professor Flitwick brightened and launched into an explanation on Charms. The Half-Goblin enjoyed the subject immensely and Lyra found herself being drawn into a debate on the subject. Some of the spells she often used when crafting things were classed as charms, she greatly enjoyed debating how one charm would be better for this or a diffrent one would make it easier to do one thing than the current one being used. Taylin sat back with an amused smile though he soon was drawn into a debate with Madam Pomfrey on healing. She noted that her other pack member were in similar discussions with Evan being surprisingly cordial with Lupin and Hagrid. Cain was enjoying a conversation with Black and Professor Babbling. Tsuki was speaking with Professor Sprout and Hagrid. Malcom was enjoying a conversation with Professor Sinistra and Madam Hooch.

* * *

After dinner and the speech where Dumbledore was interrupted by Madam Umbridge, the Mounted Guardians checked on their partners and began leaving once the students had vacated the great hall. Madam Umbridge caught sight of them leaving and quickly made her way over causing Karth to snap at her making the woman back peddle a bit. Pressing a hand to his side, Lyra spoke to the pale woman, "I would advise against approaching us like that again. Our partners aren't very forgiving of rudeness especially after a long night."

The woman scowled slightly before covering it up with a smile, "I see. My name is Delores Umbridge."

"We are aware, Madam Umbridge," Lyra frowned at her wanting to get this done so that they could get their partners settled and get out of her gear, "May I ask what it is you feel the need to discuss with us at this time?"

"I was wondering why you didn't make the Ministry aware of your presence here," Madam Umbridge said in a displeased tone making Karth growl softly.

Lyra kept her hand steady on his side as she said, "Madam Umbridge, you'll find that your Ministry of Magic was made aware alongside the Queen that we would be here. I would heavily advise that you refrain from making any accusations without proper proof," She watched the woman bristle and decided to get this conversation over with, "If you were uninformed of our presence here, it makes me wonder if perhaps the English Ministry of Magic isn't quite as well structured as it should be which would make it unlikely that the Sven kingdom with open negotiations of the former treaty again."

Madam Umbridge paled at that, "There's no need to think that."

"I hope not," Playing nice with the toad-lady was making her exhausted, "If you'll excuse us, we should be getting our partners settled,"

"Of course," Madam Umbridge said with a tense smile.

"Have a good evening then," With that said, Lyra led the way out of the great hall.

* * *

The group of Mounted Guardians gathered in the enclosure after getting out of their uniforms and gear. Lyra laid against Karth's side wanting to be close to her partner and enjoy the warmth radiating off of him. The rest of her pack were doing the same with their own partners. The days were already getting colder to them which would make for a rather miserable winter for them all. Once everyone had settled down, Lyra said, "Well, that was interesting."

"I can't believe they sent that goddamn toad-bitch!" Tsuki burst out with a scowl.

"Who else would they send?" Malcom asked with a grimace, "Why would they send someone other than the Minister's most loyal servant?"

"I feel sorry for you, Tay," Cain looked at Taylin with pity, "You'll have to deal with her once she realizes that you're a member of the Sven royal family,"

Taylin glared at Cain as he said sarcastically, "Thanks Cain. I didn't think about that."

Evan spoke as Cain bristled slightly, "She's a disrespectful bitch and barely even tried to hide why she's here."

Lyra ran a hand through her hair getting rid of the braids, "We'll need to report her presence. With her here, I have decided to add a side job to our mission," Everyone perked up and looked at her, "I want the pair staying here to keep a close eye on her. We need to gather evidence that will allow us to execute her. Once we gather enough, we will send a report to headquarters. With any luck, we'll be allowed to kill her a week after we send the report."

"Who'll be the one to kill her?" Taylin asked earning a few nods.

Lyra frowned as she tried to figure out a fair way to decide. Eventually, she said, "Sparing matches. It the fairest thing we can do not to mention we're all pretty evenly matched."

Nods were given before Cain asked, "So are we staying in here tonight?"

"Yup," No one wanted to be away from their partners right now.

* * *

Lyra walked into the great hall the next morning with Taylin as the other members of the pack had decided to eat with their partners. She took her seat beside Professor Flitwick and asked, "So how exactly is today supposed to go?"

"After breakfast, classes will begin. Headmaster Dumbledore decided that you'll do your demonstration tomorrow after lunch," Professor Flitwick replied as he buttered up his toast.

"Where is he or Madam Umbridge?" Lyra asked noting that the two were missing.

"I don't have a clue where Madam Umbridge is, but I believe the Headmaster is speaking with the Minister," Professor Flitwick answered earning a nod from Lyra.

Lyra tucked into her breakfast as Taylin and Madam Pomfrey continued their discussion from last night. She was surprised when two ginger haired males, she recognized them as part of the group that had gone to Delllea with Dumbledore, walked up. The one on the left spoke, "Sergeant Silver, we are the-"

"Weasley twins. We wish to-" The one on the left continued.

"Know how our brother-" The one on the right said.

"Is doing," The one on the left finished.

Lyra smiled in amusement. They must be magical twins and have some for of telepathy if they could be that in sink. She drank some of her water before saying, "From what I've heard while speaking with Chris, your brother is doing well considering how lacking you Englishmen are when it comes to physical education. Apparently, he is already being scouted by certain groups in the Order for his untapped potential as a tactician."

"Would you-" The one on the right began.

"Be willing to-" The one on the left continued.

"Let us talk to him?" They finished with worry in their eyes.

Lyra thought about it carefully before saying, "I might be able to, but it will take quite a bit of planning. The schedule for the trainees is rather wonky during the first year due to certain things that need to be taught as soon as possible. I will broach the subject with my brother during our next call though you must understand that it may be anywhere from tomorrow to next month before you can talk with him."

"We understand," The two chorused, "Thank you, Sergeant Silver,"

"If you wish to write letters," Taylin said catching their attention, "You may do so. They will be read before they're sent off and the reply will be read as well. It's a security protocol,"

"We understand and would like that," The twins said before heading off to eat their breakfast.

Professor Flitwick asked, "How are you able to converse with Mr. Potter?"

"The Sven Kingdom has developed long range mirror calling," Taylin answered allowing Lyra to continue eating her breakfast, "Every trainee is given a mirror at the beginning of training and allowed to call home for whatever reason. Lyra's mirror is set to receive all Chris' calls along with Hermione's, Ron's, Warren's, and one other. It allows the trainees a way to vent any frustrations or worries. It helps keep them from breaking down or going insane,"

"First chance I get, I will be visiting Lilac and letting her speak to our brothers. She probably very worried about them," Lyra was worried about the little girl.

"Will we be allowed to speak with them?" Sirius asked as he walked up with Remus.

Lyra nodded lightly, "Yes, but the call will be monitored and any attempts to steal the mirror will be met with harsh consequences despite the fact it won't work for anyone save for me."

"We understand," Remus said as Sirius gained a frustrated look, "And the same can be said for any mail sent to them?"

"Yes. The order takes secrecy very seriously," Taylin said as he picked up his glass.

No one was exempt from those rules. Not even Taylin or Lyra had been back when they were trainees. Even if all her letter and mirror calls were to her mentor, they were monitored. It had been hard to get used to, but it was understandable once you really got deep into the Order's training program. Some of the things you learned would get you killed if leaked to anyone. There was a reason the Order had never fallen since it was created, the amount of secrets, blackmail, and so many other things ensured that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Well, I will say this. I didn't plan everything out in this chapter, some stuff didn't want to be written, and some stuff forced itself to be written. I hope you guys enjoy it though.**

 **Reviews:  
**

 **Jostanos: You're wrong this time, Jos. It was about the Mounted Guardian's presence at Hogwarts. A certain toad was a tattletale it seems. Of course, we're talking about the woman that thought it would be a good idea to send dementors after a fifteen year old that couldn't use magic during the summer, so being a tattletale isn't that far off. **

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

The students were wary of the Mounted Guardians which caused them to keep their distance. It wasn't until one Muggle-Born first year walked up to Lyra while she was sitting in one of the castle courtyards with Karth beside her that they began to give into the curiosity they felt. Lyra looked up from the charms text that Professor Flitwick had loaned her when she felt Karth stiffen a bit. Spotting the rather small looking eleven year old approaching them, she felt a bit of amusement at the fact that despite the fear the child was feeling, the girl still approached with the intent to ask a question. The fact she was from the house of Ravens rather than the house of Lions which was known for their bravery just made the mounted guardian want to laugh. Marking her page with a feather that she'd stolen from Malcom awhile ago, she spoke to the child who stopped at a polite distance away from Karth and herself, "What can I do for you, Child?"

"I was hoping that you could answer a few questions," The girl's light brown eyes flicked over to Karth with a bit of awe.

"And what questions are those, Child?" Lyra asked setting down her book and placing a hand on Karth's side causing her partner to relax.

The child reached into her bag pulling out a pen and a spiral bound notebook much to Lyra's amusement. She opened it to the first page and held it out to Lyra. Reaching out, she took the note book and noted the rather well drawn sketch of a fire born vesca. The child spoke drawing Lyra's attention, "My first question is about fire born vesca. As you have one for a partner, I decided to ask you."

"This is a very well drawn sketch," Lyra told the child, "What's the question?"

The child flushed lightly, "I live in a town where they have a Mounted Guardian outpost and one of the usual core members stationed there has a fire born vesca. Why does your partner, Karth, look diffrent?"

"Well, that question is something that will be answered during your class with us," The child began looking disappointed, "But I suppose giving you an answer would hurt," The kid perked up in a way that reminded her of Carter when he heard about a new sowing technique, "Vesca of the same elemental genus can look very diffrent depending on not only their genealogy, the age of their parents, the diet of their mothers, where they're born, the weather of the place they're born, the conditions they grew up in, and things like that," Lyra held the notebook out to the kid and the girl took it back, "Karth was born and grew up inside of a volcano which is why his scales are the color they are,"

"So kind of like how certain animals of the same species look and sound diffrent based on the country they live in?" The kid asked earning a nod, "Are all ice born vesca cold?"

"Yes and no. To their enemies and strangers, they're as cold as the ice they wield. To their allies and friends, they are quite warm," Lyra felt Karth relax and smiled knowing that her partner could sense that the child wasn't a danger to them.

"Are the vesca and wyverns really as vicious as they say?" The child asked looking at Karth curiously.

"Only to the enemies of themselves or their partners if they have them," Lyra answered as Karth lifted his head to sniff at the child, "So long as you do nothing to provoke them, are polite, and do not try to harm their partners, you have nothing to fear of them,"

The child turned a few pages and began writing things down. When she finished, the kid asked, "Do you think of us all as children?"

Lyra debated how to answer that question before finally saying, "In someways yes, you're all children to me even those of my age or older. Until someone proves that they aren't a child, I will call them as such. It is the same in the eyes of my unit. It's how we think of everyone until they prove themselves to not be a child or show that they are capable of making decisions for themselves. In Delllea, you would be considered a child until you either bonded to a dragon or turned 16 at which point you'll begin working if you haven't already begun," She grimaced as she added, "Unless you're a noble."

"You don't like nobles?" The child asked.

Lyra shook her head, "I am indifferent to the noble sect for the most part. I dislike those that are spoiled and horrible to those they believe are lesser than themselves. I like those that prove that they're diffrent," She looked at the child, "Any other questions?"

The kid nodded, "Just one. How old are you?"

"I am sixteen almost seventeen," The kid's eyes widened and Lyra let out a soft laugh, "Karth and I bonded when I was ten. I'm the youngest in my unit,"

"And you're the leader?" The kid asked earning a nod.

"Age doesn't matter if you're good at what you do," Lyra laughed at the awed look, "What's your name, Kid?"

The kid shook her head lightly and said, "Anna Caton."

Catching a glimpse of Taylin and Ausca in the corner of her eyes, Lyra smiled as she put the book she'd been reading into her bag before standing along with Karth causing Anna to stumble back a bit, "A pleasure, Miss Caton. If you'll excuse me, my second in command has need of me."

"R-right," Anna nodded, "It was nice talking to you,"

Lyra started walking towards Taylin only to pause when she was next to Anna and pat the child's head earning a wide eyed look. She spoke softly, "You are a brave one, Miss Caton. Keep that bravery and temper it with the knowledge you gain, it will help you succeed in whatever path you choose."

With that said, Lyra walked away with Karth. When she reached Taylin, he remarked, "A new one, Ly?"

"Not at all, Tay," Lyra continued walking and Taylin fell in step beside her as Ausca did the same with Karth though the two dragons butted their heads lightly against one another first, "Miss Caton is merely an brave child in a sea of scared little sheep. She also knows something about the core which will make teaching her more than a little interesting,"

"Do you believe she might be a potential?" Taylin asked making her hum.

"Perhaps though it's doubtful as Karth didn't really react towards her," Lyra glanced at him, "I believe it would be a good idea to make note of any potentials, but nothing more. We are not here to find them nor would we be able to put all our efforts where they belong. No, we will be leaving that to others though it's unlikely they will look into the situation until after Chris and the others prove their worth to the core,"

Taylin nodded likely having thought as much, but wanted Lyra to voice it. He reached out and intertwined their fingers, "I have to wonder if perhaps the rest of the world has more potentials that are being ignored due to the fact they aren't from Delllea. If five came from England with more possible potentials to be found, who knows how many are lurking in the other countries."

Lyra's eyes narrowed as she thought about it, "Perhaps. It is very likely that if we find enough potentials and it gets back to the other kingdoms, the order might just end up creating more branches of itself. The dangers of doing so would have to be considered as well."

All out war could break out if some of the more ambitious got it in their minds to try and take control of the order. A shiver went down her spine. If it weren't for the fact that the order wished to be neutral, they could have dominated the world by now without any trouble despite the fact they made up less than a quarter of the world's population if that. The blood shed that could be caused over more branches of the order being created in countries where vesca did not normally live. It was a dark thought and left a bitter taste in her mouth. Gaining more potentials was all well and good, the risks weighed heavier in her mind. Taylin squeezed her hand, "We'll let the order make those decisions."

"I just hope they make the right one," Lyra shivered before banishing the dark images that her mind had conjured, "So where are we going?"

"I thought that a trip to the black lake would be a good idea. You did want to get more samples from the flora, fauna, and everything, right?" Taylin asked making her grin lightly as she nodded, "We can also take a trip into the Forbidden forest. I'm interested in speaking to the Centaurs,"

They hadn't been able to take many trips into the Forbidden forest between getting settled at Hogwarts and getting a feel for England itself. It was a shame as the forest was bound to have a bounty of potions ingredients and things that they could study. Lyra had been wanting to go into the forest to see the unicorn and thestral herds that lived there. The things that she could gather from them and being able to say that she'd physically seen them made her grin slightly. While Delllea had a whole host of magical creatures both familiar and unfamiliar to the world around them, they lacked certain animals or said animals were never seen. Thestrals weren't native to Delllea and the unicorns that lived within the country rarely made themselves known. She also wanted to see the Acromantula colony they had here both to gather ingredients and to find out just how diffrent they were to the others currently known. Of course, the colony would be exterminated if they proved to be a danger to sentient beings. Whether they proved too dangerous or not, the colony would be finding itself far smaller.

* * *

Lyra was mending one of Taylin's shirts when a knock sounded on the door. She called out, "It's open."

The door opened to reveal Remus Lupin which showed that the were had some sense of bravery considering the fact Tsuki and Evan had made it known what they thought of his species. Lupin walked inside almost hesitantly, "Good Evening, Sergeant Silver."

"How may I help you, Consort Lupin?" Lyra asked as she waved a hand at the couch across from her.

Lupin sat down looking a bit nervous, "Sergeant Silver, I know that you do not like us-"

"I do not like my sire and dame, Consort Lupin," Lyra corrected earning a nod, "I haven't fully formed my opinion of yourself or your mate,"

Lupin relaxed a bit at that, "May I speak plainly, Sergeant Silver?"

"You may," Lyra inclined her head as she put down the shirt she was mending, "Would you like something to drink?" Lupin nodded and Lyra summoned a glass from the cupboard before pouring some wine into it, "I apologize if it isn't to your taste, it isn't mine either,"

Lupin took the cup and sipped the wine making a face at the bitter taste, "That was..."

"Bitter?" Lyra finished with a small laugh, "Taylin enjoys bitter wines. I myself enjoy spiced wine over sweet or bitter,"

"I'm not really a wine-type of person," Lupin said earning a small smile, "Sergeant Silver, Sirius and I have two questions that we would like answers to. The first is easiest as it has to do with Lilac," Lyra inclined her head showing that she was listening before she drank some of her wine, "If it comes to Lily and James losing custody of her, who will you choose to take care of her,"

Lyra was silent for a moment before admitting, "I will admit to being a bit torn on the subject. Part of me wishes to take her on myself and part of me wishes for her to stay in England. If she stays in England, she will be somewhere familiar where humans aren't seen as lesser or have to work to earn some semblance of respect. She more than likely has friends here and she also has your mate and yourself," Lyra drank some more of her wine, "She is the heir to two old families here and will be well cared for."

"But..." Remus murmured earning a sigh.

"But she won't have her brother's close to her or myself if she needs us," Lyra had been going over the options since she'd threatened Lily and James, "She won't get to experience the freedom of being able to use her magic no matter where she is or who she's with. She won't be able to get to know me as well as she should have," She looked at Lupin, "I will admit that both options come with their own dangers. As members of the core, my brothers and I will not always be able to be there for her. My unit and I may have a permanent place within the capital once we're done here, but that doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean we will always be around or that we won't get hurt. I don't want to just toss her into a place where she doesn't know anyone or even a majority of the languages used there,"

Remus nodded seeming to understand where she was coming from, "I think I understand, Sergeant Silver. Sirius and I wished to tell you that if Lilac comes into our care, we would be happy to bring her Delllea anytime we can. I have always wished to go since I first heard of it and how the weres there are able to control themselves. It is likely that we will be moving to the Sven kingdom both to make sure we can see the boys, but also to see if I can learn how to control my inner wolf."

Lyra was a bit surprised by that, but supposed she shouldn't be. With how fondly Chris, Warren, and their friends spoke of him, Lupin wasn't like most of the weres outside of Delllea. She smiled, "I suppose that would solve many problems though it will be rough on all those involved. From what I understand, weres have a tough time learning to control themselves especially as they get older unless they begin young," She made a decision, "So long as Lord Black and yourself show me that you're good guardians and are willing to understand things, I will more than likely ensure that guardianship falls to you."

Lupin beamed at her and Lyra could see why Lord Black had fallen for the werewolf, "Thank you, Sergeant Silver."

Lyra inclined her head, "What was the second second question?"

Lupin was silent as he mulled over her question. She wondered just what was so difficult about it. When he finally spoke, she was still heavily confused, "Sergeant Silver, how much do you know about how the pureblood families of England keep track of their families?"

"As far as I'm aware, they use a similar method to what the nobles use when looking for prospective spouses," Lyra answered wondering where he was going with this, "Only instead of making sure that the spouse isn't related to the family, the pureblood families use it to keep track of their genealogy,"

"They also use it to keep track of their descendants," Lupin answered earning a confused look, "You are related to the Black family through your sire's grandmother as such you're on the wall otherwise you wouldn't have qualified for the heir position,"

Lyra felt a sinking feeling in her gut, "Your point, Consort Lupin?"

Lyra inwardly winced at her biting tone especially since he wasn't really doing anything wrong. Lupin offered her a searching look, "You have a line going down from you meaning you hav-"

"Had a child," Lyra's chest ached and she felt like someone had punched her in the gut, "We lost it before ever learning of its existence,"

Lupin looked as if someone had struck him, but Lyra couldn't be bothered to feel something for him at the moment. The door opened and Taylin walked inside only to pause before rushing over to her with concern, "Ly?"

"The Black family have a family tree, Tay," Lyra saw his eyes widen before narrowing in anger, "Consort Lupin and Lord Black were curious,"

Taylin's lips peeled back as his eyes darkened letting the blue in his eyes show up, "That doesn't mean they're allowed to-"

"We didn't know," Lupin cut in earning a low snarl from Taylin.

"Consort Lupin, I would advise you to leave right now before Taylin rips you to shreds," Lyra wrapped her arms around Taylin.

Lupin's eyes widened before he quickly beat a hasty retreat. Taylin pulled her tight to him growling deeply in his chest, "They have no right knowing about it."

"I know, Tay," Lyra pulled him to settle beside her on the couch, "But you can't kill them. They didn't know that we'd lost it. The family tree they have doesn't show that stuff,"

Taylin pulled her into his lap and she laid her head on his chest, "That doesn't make it right."

Lyra could tell he was calming down though it would be a very long time before Lupin or Black would be forgiven by her prince for bringing it up. She breathed in his scent letting it sooth away the pain, "It doesn't."

"Ly," Taylin's voice was soft.

"No," Lyra shook her head, "No more talk. No more rehashing what happened. Not right now,"

Taylin tightened his grip on her before burrowing his face in her hair. It would be very unlikely either of them would be leaving this room until tomorrow if they even left this position.

* * *

Lyra pulled herself onto Karth's back feeling her partners excitement which made her smile. Despite the fact they were going to be acting like prized show dogs soon enough, Karth loved being in front of a crowd and hearing them cheer. It was why he absolutely loved doing tricks for the children at the orphanage as well as had no trouble performing during their graduation demonstration. She didn't enjoy it as much as her partner, but she wouldn't begrudge him for it. It was part of the reason he was so determined to recover alongside not wanting to be parted from her or Ausca. Patting his head causing him to settled down, she got settled, "Eager to show off, huh?" Karth barked wagging his tail, "Just remember that we're not showing off all our skills, okay?" Karth nodded making a small sound, "Once we're done, I'll see if Tay and Ausca want to go on a run."

Karth barked almost jumping in place showing that he was more than okay with that plan. Once she was all set, Lyra had him walk over to the doors they would be going through. To give the mounted guardians room to work and to ensure all the students could see them, they were using the Quidditch pitch for the demonstration. Certain locker rooms had been expanded to fit her pack, it had been somewhat interesting to watch how the English magicals did something like this. Tsuki joined her moments later muttering, "I feel like we're some kind of show dog or something."

"I know, but we only have to deal with it for now," Lyra soothed earning a sigh, "Think about it this way, we don't have to do this kind of thing over and over again for multiple classes,"

"True," Tsuki sighed before looking at Karth, "I bet your puppy of a dragon is looking forward to this,"

Lyra nodded as she pushed open the doors with her magic, "Yeah. Let's get going and see what we have to work with."

Exiting the room they had been getting ready in, the two mounted guardians and their partners headed down the small tunnel to reach the quidditch pitch. They stopped once they got there feeling a bit surprised. A huge obstacle course was set up on the quidditch pitch making it look a lot like one of the training rooms back home only it was missing the more deadly aspects like the swinging ax blades, bombs, and things like that. It was definitely a new addition to the pitch though it would likely be taken down immediately after the demonstration. Tsuki muttered, "Like a fucking dog show."

"No kidding," Cain grimaced as he joined them.

Evan glared at the course while Taylin and Malcom looked at it with disdain. Despite understanding that not all humans were bad, it was times like this that they were reminded that some only saw them as lesser beings or creatures. Lyra was heavily tempted to leave things as it, but knows that she needed to cool some tempers before something happened, "Easy you guys. It probably wasn't the intention of Dumbledore to make it seem like we were some kind of trained animals that do tricks on demand."

"Alpha," Evan's voice was soft and just a bit deadly, "I believe Umbridge had a hand in this,"

"It's very likely," Lyra looked at him, "I want you all to go over everything before we begin. Check to see if everything is stable,"

"If it isn't?" Evan asked.

"Destroy it," Lyra answered making the were-panther's eyes gleam with a small amount of malice, "We will not risk our partners just because some ministry bitch known for hating anything non-human wants to try something,"

Evan and the rest of her pack nodded before taking off though Taylin stayed with her. They went to go see Dumbledore who stood with a man that Lyra recognized to be the current English minister. Biting back a frown, she ushered Karth closer to the group though had him stop just a few feet away with Taylin, "Headmaster Dumbledore, if I may ask why you've set this," She waved a hand at the course, "Course up?"

"It was Madam Umbridge and the Minister's idea," Dumbledore answered making Lyra's eyes narrow.

"And why didn't you ask us if we wished for anything like this?" Lyra asked as the Minister and the group of what had to be Aurors stood around him with Umbridge.

Dumbledore looked a bit confused, "Madam Umbridge said that you had agreed."

"She did not ask me and I wouldn't have agreed," Lyra placed a hand on Karth's scales to calm the small amount of anger that built up in her stomach, "As your people do not know much of us, it is highly likely they would not be able to take the proper caution needed for such a course to be constructed. Even if they had, they wouldn't have been able to create a proper course within the two days they were here," She frowned at Umbridge who's skin gained a slight puce tint to it, "Madam Umbridge, I would greatly prefer it if you actually speak to me before going ahead with any plans involving my unit. As this is your first time doing so, I will not be placing it within my report to our superiors, but if it occurs again, I will not hesitate. The Sven kingdom will not ally itself with a country that doesn't understand something as following proper protocol,"

"And who are you?" The Minister asked with a frown, "I am Cornelius Fudge the current Minister of Magic here in England,"

"I am Sergeant Lyra Silver leader of my unit," Lyra gestured to Taylin, "This is Corporal Taylin Wyldfyr my second in command,"

The Minister turned a bit pale at that, "P-prince Taylin Wyldfyr?"

"Yes," Taylin frowned at the Minister, "Minister Fudge, my father will not be pleased to see that one of your employees especially one so high up in your administration is incapable of common courtesy,"

An explosion sounded and Lyra rolled her eyes as she saw the cloud of debris knowing that Malcom had probably done it. The minister shouted, "Good lord! What are they doing?"

"They are seeing if the structures are sound. If they aren't, I've ordered them to be destroyed," Lyra answered earning looks of shock, "I take the safety of my unit very seriously. As we did not want an obstacle course, we will not hesitate to destroy it if need be," She looked at the minister, "May I ask why you have come here, Minister?"

The Minister looked at her and puffed up a bit, "Yes, I was wondering why you did not come to the ministry to announce your presence here."

"Seeing as we saw the queen, we followed the protocol needed for our visit," Lyra explained as Karth shifted a bit and she knew that he wanted to join in on destroying the course, "As per protocol, we were to meet the ruling body of the country that we were visiting. As the queen is in charge of both the mundane and magical sides of England, we were supposed to see her," She looked at the Minister with a raised eyebrow, "Surely, you're aware that while the magical community is allowed to govern itself so long as its conflicts do not involve the mundane world, the queen is still in charge and can take over if there is need of it," She saw him flush, "Of course, we did send a notice that we'd arrived in the country. We were a bit surprised to see that you hadn't sent anyone to greet us. Perhaps there was an error in communications,"

"Probably. I'll see to it that the problem is fixed," The Minister promised and Lyra inclined her head, "Would you be willing to meet with me at some point today?"

Lyra shook her head with a fake apologetic smile, "I apologize Minister, but I do not believe that will be possible at this point in time. My unit and I are still settling in here at Hogwarts. Perhaps in a few weeks? We will have gotten settled by then, have met our new students, and gotten somewhat used to being in England."

The Minister grimaced a bit, but nodded, "Of course, I wouldn't want to push you all too far. Just send a letter via owl or have the headmaster contact me when you're ready for a meeting."

"That sounds perfect, Minister," Lyra said as another explosion sounded, "Thank you for being patient and understanding at this time,"

Dumbledore spoke looking a bit amused, "Perhaps we should leave Sergeant Silver and her unit to get everything ready for their demonstration."

"R-right!" The Minister nodded and quickly began to leave with the Aurors and Umbridge.

Dumbledore offer Lyra and Taylin an apologetic look, "I must apologize, Sergeant Silver. Between the Minister's calls yesterday and the regular first day woes on top of my regular paperwork, I didn't verify if Madam Umbridge had come to speak with you."

"It is understandable, Headmaster," Lyra accepted the apology as it was knowing that the aged wizard had more work than a regular Headmaster due to his many positions, "Though in the future, I ask that you send a note or something,"

"I will try," Dumbledore replied before glancing at the obstacle course which was quickly being ripped apart, "I suppose that nothing the ministry has made will work out?"

"Probably not," Lyra shook her head lightly, "Headmaster, may I ask something of you?"

Dumbledore looked at her curiously, "What do you need, Sergeant Silver?"

"As I have not had the time to do so, do you think you can arrange a meeting between Lilac and I?" Lyra asked earning a nod, "I wish to get to know my little sister better and to start my investigation to determine if her parents should keep custody of her,"

Dumbledore smiled a bit at the first part then sighed at the second, "I will contact you when I do. Is it truly necessary, Sergeant Silver?"

Lyra nodded with a hard look, "My mentor raised me to look after my family whether by blood or bond. I must ensure that Lilac is well taken care of and safe while I can," She softened a bit, "I do not wish to make Lilac miserable, Albus. I only want what's best for her. If and when it comes down to her parents losing custody, I will do my best to ensure she ends up in the hands of Lord Black and his consort."

Dumbledore nodded with a sad smile, "I will do my best to secure a meeting as soon as possible, Lyra. Would you be able to secure a mirror call with your eldest brother? I wish to speak with him."

"I will do my best," Lyra replied while wondering what he could need to talk to Chris about.

"I must go join everyone," Dumbledore said with a glance towards the stands, "I trust you'll have everything cleared away and ready for your demonstration in thirty minutes?"

Lyra nodded as her lips twitched into a grin, "We'll be more than ready."

Dumbledore took off after saying, "Good luck!"

Taylin looked at her as they moved to join their pack in dismantling the obstacle course, "Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy it when you pretty much rip into someone without actually doing so?"

"A few times, but that doesn't make politics any less cumbersome to me," Lyra glanced at him, "I'd prefer to leave that particular kind of bullshit to you,"

Taylin smirked as he ushered Ausca to walk beside Karth before he reached across the gap and grabbed her right hand, "I know, but that makes it even more enjoyable when it happens. I can't wait until they piss you off."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen, I would prefer not to be the cause of an international incident just because I murdered someone for being an idiot," Lyra rolled her eyes before leaning over to kiss his cheek.

Taylin turned his head in time for their lips to meet.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was a bit difficult to write at times, but I managed it.  
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 **Jostanos : You aren't wrong about that. Nope and yeah. Pretty much.**

 **ThunderClaw03 : Yes, yes she is. Mhmm. Yes and no.**

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* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

Once they managed to clear away the completely useless course, they began setting something up that would allow them to have fun while also being able to show off. While they wouldn't reveal even a fraction of their true talents as Mounted Guardians, they would ensure everyone learned not to mess with them. Lyra set up a few platforms about five feet off the ground with plans to raise them if needed.

* * *

When it came time to start the demonstration, Lyra cast the spell that would allow everyone to hear her, "Students of Hogwarts, Professor, Headmaster, and Honored Guests! We have been asked by the Headmaster to give you a demonstration of our skills in hopes it will encourage you to participate in our class. My Unit and I have agreed if only to ensure you gain a better understanding why the world at large respects the Mounted Guardian Core."

With that said, Lyra made a gesture and they began. The demonstration was much like the performance they had put on with their graduating class. The only difference was the fact that they were slinging around spells like they normally did during training sessions. Unlike normal witches and wizards, the Mounted Guardian Core could throw around spells like party favors for hours on end. It came with being so closely bonded to highly magical creatures. Of course, the higher the spell, the sooner they had to stop. As elemental magic was regarded as some of the hardest to use in England, they were tossing the basic spells every Mounted Guardian used regardless of their elemental affinity.

By the time they were done, the magicals all looked gobsmacked with some of the children looking at the Mounted Guardians with glee. Considering that they had been using some of the more explosive spells towards the end and Lyra decided to show off her fire affinity, it looked like the Englishmen had some pyromaniacs in their midst. Lyra grinned slightly as Tsuki muttered, "More Pyromaniacs...Joy."

Lyra subtly flipped her off as Karth soaked up the attention being focused on them. When he began prancing around, she shook her head with a small laugh before having him stop. She spoke again as the applause that had started died down, "I hope you enjoyed our demonstration. For those with a heavy appreciation for fire, I will be willing to meet with you after the first day of our class is over. Have a good day!"

* * *

Taylin gifted her with a raised eyebrow, "Really, Ly?"

"Even if they can't achieve as much as I do, I have to foster the next generations love and respect for fire," Lyra said earning a deadpan look that had her mock pouting, "You're so mean to me, Tay,"

"Ly, I love you, but even I'm scared of you teaching these kids some of the things you can do," Taylin replied causing her to snort, "Just promise me you won't teach them anything above C-grade,"

"I'm not stupid enough to try," Lyra took off her shirt to allow Taylin to check her left side to ensure she hadn't strained anything, "Anything above C-grade is likely to kill them and far too powerful for them to control. I'm only going to show them E and D-grade stuff with maybe one C-grade if they prove to be able to control it,"

Taylin pressed his hands to her side and she sighed as his magic began to sink into her, "At the very least, you know how to restrain yourself somewhat."

Lyra closed her eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

Lyra might be an unrepentant pyromaniac, but she wasn't stupid enough to give the kids here anything remotely powerful. While her mentor had gleefully indulged her pyromaniac habits most commonly in the form of flinging fire balls at the various members of the 13th squad, Eliza Silver had impressed a great amount of caution and restraint into her student/adoptive daughter. Even if the kids turned out to be responsible, she wasn't going to give them anything powerful or that only the Core used. Considering that half the spells that the Core usually used were either banned or out right forbidden in various countries, she really couldn't give them the good stuff without getting into trouble.

* * *

Lyra only had to wait two days before Dumbledore managed to get her a meeting with Lilac. He just needed Sirius and Remus' help to get Lilac which only made the Mounted Guardian even less likely to allow her dame and sire to have custody over her youngest sibling. When she entered the room where Lilac was waiting, she found herself instinctively bending down and catching the girl who had practically thrown herself at the Mounted Guardian. She hugged her youngest sibling with great care while noting that the girl looked a lot better compared to when she'd last seen her. Lilac hugged her around the next, "Lyra!"

"Hello, Little Sister," The term was something Chris had gotten her into using, "Let's sit down, Okay? I want to hear about how things have been going with you,"

Lilac nodded and they moved to settle in the comfortable chairs set up in the room. Lilac chose to sit with Lyra and would probably end up in her lap with how much the small girl was leaning into her. She poured them some tea as Lilac asked, "Where do we start?"

"How have you been feeling?" Lyra decided to start with the easy stuff.

"A lot better especially since Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remy have been making sure the House Elves keep me from stressing out my body too much," Lilac answered earning a pleased smile from Lyra.

"I'll have Tay check you over. He's been worried about your recovery," Lyra said before she drank some of her tea.

Lilac looked a bit confused, "He is?"

"Mhmm," Lyra hummed lightly, "He's a healer, Little Sister. It's in his nature to worry about others especially when they're his patients," She set down her cup, "You're also family to me which makes your health important. My unit is worried about you too,"

"Why?" Lilac's confusion was kind of adorable.

"Among the Core, our unite often becomes our family," Lyra patiently explained, "It is due to the dangers we face and the bonds we forge within one another. We're actively encourage to see one another as family as it ensures we have a safety net and to keep from becoming traitors,"

Lilac still looked a bit confused though less so than before, "If you see one another as family than why are you marrying Taylin?"

"Because I love him not as a brother, but as a lover which is very diffrent. Two other members of my unit are together as well though you'd be surprised to see who," Lyra was still surprised even if they'd been together for years now.

Lilac nodded slowly, "I see. Will I get to meet them?"

"Once we're done talking, they're rather eager to meet you," That was an understatement, "How are you feeling mentally, Lilac," Lilac drank some tea with a guilty look on her face, "Do you miss Chris and Warren?"

Lilac nodded as she looked down at her tea, "I miss them a lot. I got a bit angry at them for leave me alone with Mom and Dad."

"If how our Sire and Dame acted back in Delllea is normal, I wouldn't be surprised," Lyra drawled out earning a wince, "Lilac, do they hit you? Do you grab you roughly?"

Lilac shook her head, "No, they never hit me or grab me roughly."

Letting out a sigh of relief as some of the tension in her body dissipated, Lyra had been afraid that her youngest sibling was physically abused. She asked the next question, "Do they shout at your or say mean things in your presence even if they aren't directed at you?"

"They don't shout at me, but they say mean things about Chris, Warren, and you," Lilac frowned softly.

Lyra sighed softly, "I assume the worst of it is directed at me?"

Lilac nodded slowly, "Yeah."

"I expected as much. They've never had a high opinion of me since I was born out of wedlock," Lyra still thought that was a petty reason to be ashamed of a child especially since it's the parents fault for not being careful, "And out of your sight?"

"They shout at each other a lot and they say a lot of cruel things about you," Lilac answered in a soft voice, "They say stuff about Chris and Warren too. They say they're ungrateful brats among other things,"

Lyra shook her head, "I'm sorry you have to deal with that, Lilac. I have one last heavy question then we can move onto the fun stuff, okay?" Lilac nodded looking a bit curious, "If your parents prove to be unfit, would you like to live with Sirius and Remus?"

"Don't you want me to live with you?" Lilac looked more hurt than anything else.

Lyra hugged her youngest sibling which made the girl tense a bit before relaxing into her hold, "Little Sister, I would love to have you live with me, but I wouldn't be able to take care of you properly. While my unit and I will have a permanent place in the capital, you'd be mostly left on your own as we have duties that we can't ignore," She felt Lilac sigh, "I have it on good authority that Sirius and Remus will move to Delllea at some point."

"Really?" Lilac's wide eyes were filled with hope.

Lyra nodded earning a squeal, "So I take it as a yes?"

"Yes!" Lilac agreed quickly.

Once the girl calmed down, the conversation switched to what Lilac had been up to since returning to England.

* * *

Rather unsurprising, Lilac and the Vesca got along very well. Much like with Carter, Lilac had a bond with their dragons only she was highly unlikely to be able to bond with one. It was highly likely that she would end up with a career in taking care of the Vesca and Wyverns when she grew up. The students of Hogwarts were rather shocked to realize that the youngest Potter child was in the school and rather chummy with the Mounted Guardians. Lyra was more than amused when Lilac decided to sit with the Mounted Guardians during dinner instead of with her Godfather and his mate. As it was, the two males joined them once Taylin, Tsuki, and Evan promised not to kill Remus.

Taylin still refused to talk to either male with Lyra only doing so if she had to. Lilac noticed though the girl didn't say a word. It was very likely the two men would be faced with some rather awkward questions about why.

* * *

Lyra was sad to see Lilac go though made sure that the girl knew they would be seeing one another soon. She wanted to get to know her youngest sibling after all and ensure that the two idiots she called genetic donors understood that she was highly unlikely to let them keep custody of the girl. Once Lilac was gone, she headed to her room only to pause when she heard, "Sergeant Silver, may I have a word?"

Inwardly cursing at having her good mood ruined, Lyra turned towards the Ministry toad, "Yes, Madam Umbridge?"

"I was curious as to why the youngest Potter child was with you and your...unit all day," Umbridge clearing wanted to say something else but managed to refrain from doing so.

Offering the woman a frown, Lyra asked, "And may I ask why its any of your business?"

"Seeing as Chris Potter and Warren Potter never showed up for school, I was curious as to where they are," Umbridge frowned at her, "As they are members of the Potter family, they're rather important to us,"

"I'm afraid I don't know where they are," It was true since they were taking their first survival classes which meant they could be just about anywhere.

"Sergeant Silver, I don't think you realize how important they are to Magical England," Umbridge protested only to flinch back as Karth growled at her.

Lyra set her hand on his side, "Madam Umbridge, as they have been inducted into the Mounted Guardian Core, they are no longer classified as English citizens of either Magical or Mundane England. As the rules haven't changed since the first treaty between the Core and the various countries around the world, you should know that by now. They cannot return nor will they inherit anything from you people," She resumed walking, "If you'll excuse me, I must be going."

"That still doesn't explain why the Potter child was with you," Umbridge nearly shouted at her.

Lyra paused for a few moments and wondered for a moment if she could get away with gutting the woman before dismissing that fact, "It doesn't concern you, Madam Umbridge. As the child is not a student here, she is not under your jurisdiction thus you do not need to know," Lyra resumed walking away, "By the way, Madam Umbridge. If you continue to try and make us less than what we are, you will find yourself in a very bad situation."

"Are you threatening me?" Umbridge screeched at Lyra.

Karth growled threateningly at the woman as Lyra paused to offer the toad a light smile, "Madam, I do not threaten people. I make promises. I would advise you to remember the current stance Delllea and the Core have towards you before you continue. After all, it would be a shame if something were to happen to you because of your own willful blindness towards your situation," She resumed walking, "Come, Karth. Taylin and the others are waiting for us."

Disappointingly enough, Umbridge managed to keep from attempting to attack Lyra which meant she couldn't off the toad just yet.

* * *

Tsuki snorted in amusement as Lyra finished explaining the minor confrontation she'd had with Umbridge, "You know, I think the higher ups would have chosen Taylin to lead us if they knew about your passive aggressive tendencies especially since they're the reason anyone we got into fights with always ended up attacking first if you were there."

You could melt butter in Lyra's mouth as she said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

That sent her pack cracking up around Lyra, they knew her far to well to believe that. Half the fights they ended up in during their training were started by the idiots that ended up pissing Lyra off, the funniest part was that none of the teachers realized that she'd baited every single one of them. One of the benefits of her time at as an actor and with her mentor was that she was ridiculously good at lying. She had absolutely no problem using those skills when it came to ensuring that the idiots that insult her pack got what they deserved. Another plus was that she was really good at poker and tended to draw in a lot of money when she played unless it was against Taylin. Out of her entire pack, he was the only one able to read her when she put on a mask.

Taylin cleared his throat once everyone had calmed down, "Lilac's recovery rate is surprisingly fast even given her magical heritage."

"Which is going to be a boon when she finally ends up moving to Sven," Evan said as he relaxed beside Cain, "Only the goddess knows how she'll adjust to the heat otherwise,"

"Have I mentioned that I'm actually a little eager to see what Winter here is like?" Tsuki asked as she lounged on a couch, "I mean imagine all that snow,"

"Joy," Lyra was not looking forward to the snow if only because it'll make her injuries ache.

Tsuki frowned at her, but was prevented from saying anything as Malcom asked, "So what now? We did the whole demonstration thing and met with your little sister. So what happens now."

"Malcom, you and Tsuki will be seeing if you can track down one of these Death Eaters," Lyra answered as everyone sobered up at the serious change in topic, "Evan, I am in trusting the our copy of the notes about Horcruxes. Arrange a meeting with the goblin clans here, they will likely be happy to get rid of any soul pieces if one of the dark idiot's followers decided to hide it,"

"I'll see if I can convince them to let me work my magic on it so we can track down the others," Evan gained a predatory look on his face.

"Once we can track them down, we'll work on finding them," Lyra looked at Cain, "Cain, go with him," The four mentioned nodded with serious expression on their faces, "Taylin and I will stay here. Malcom, Tsuki, I expect you two back in a week once you leave even if you manage to find a scent trail,"

"Yes, Alpha," The two intoned.

Tsuki spoke as she shifted slightly, "Alpha, do you want me to see if I can scent the scent of the dark mark?"

Lyra thought about it carefully before inclining her head, "Yes, but only if you take extra precautions. I don't want any of us to become corrupted."

Magics that manipulated the soul almost always corrupted both the user and the one it was being used on. Lyra was lucky that her magic and the protections of her dame kept the soul piece that had once resided within her from corrupting her long enough to allow her to bond with Karth which flushed the damn thing out. She hated to imagine what would have happened had she been corrupted and prayed that she never had to find out as the results were never pretty. Tsuki didn't even look offended when she'd said that, "I will, Alpha."

* * *

The disappearance of the four Mounted Guardians was noticed almost immediately and caused much gossip. The fact that none of the adults outside of Umbridge seemed surprised by the disappearance only added to the gossip. Some of the theories going around were absolutely hilarious especially since none of the students thought to ask Lyra or Taylin why a majority of their pack was gone. Umbridge had tried to ask, but neither Mounted Guardian was forthcoming with that information. With all the gossip being thrown around, the students were becoming more relaxed and rather eager for their class especially when they realized that neither Mounted Guardian minded the questions that were asked of them. The house of ravens was almost frothing at the mouth when neither would give them any actual information.

Lyra looked over the classroom they'd be using with a careful eye. With the help of Dumbledore and the house elves, they managed to modify one of the classrooms on the first floor into a room that many college students would call a lecture hall with enough room for all the vesca in the group to stretch out. They even added some high perches for Malcom and Striker when the duo taught. Finally, she relaxed, "This is definitely what we want."

"May I request being able to watch the first lesson?" Dumbledore requested as he looked at the portable magic screens they were setting up.

"Please inform all the teachers that they may sit in on a class though we request that they inform us when they do and to please avoid interrupting the class," Lyra was actually hoping some of them would sit in if only to make them understand the Core better.

Dumbledore nodded before moving to speak with a house elf quietly. Lyra began helping Taylin get everything set up while also making sure the technology they'd brought wasn't damaged. While she could repair it, she preferred not to as the spells and rune-work involved often gave her a headache. Magical technology was a bit above her pay grade though she was better than her mentor had been. Ezra Silver could barely use most of the magical tech outside of the things they used in battle let alone fix them. Taylin found it highly amusing and teased her about it whenever he could. Then again, magical technology was one of the things he specialized in if only because it made his job as a Healer easier.

Once everything was set up, Lyra started getting out the manuals that everyone moving to Delllea were given though they were slightly diffrent depending on which Kingdom you went to. The Sven Kingdom's manual had warnings about the various creatures that lived within their boarders and why outsiders should avoid certain areas completely unless they hired people to take them there. It also had warnings about the heat especially for those traveling the deserts. She handed one to Dumbledore and then to Hagrid when he entered the room.

* * *

The students that entered were from Chris and his friend's year. She spotted the blonde boy with silvery grey eyes and knew that was a Malfoy specifically from the same line as the jackass that had insulted Taylin's sister. She glanced at Taylin's who's nose scrunched up a bit at the sight of the boy. With any hope, the boy wouldn't piss Taylin off though the fact that he was likely the son of the bastard didn't give her much hope. As they didn't want to do this lesson more than a seven times, they had combined all the houses with the sixth and seventh years sharing a class. Once all the students were settled down, she began going down the list of students and reading off their names. When she finished, she said, "Welcome to introduction to Delllea and the Mounted Guardian Core otherwise known as Introduction. Before we begin, I am going to lay down a rule that will be active for the entire year and nothing will change it. We are going on a three strikes system. Get into trouble more than three times and you're tossed from the class without any hope of coming back. You may attempt to argue against your expulsion from this class, but it is unlikely you will be allowed back. Now before we begin today's lesson, does anyone have burning questions that need to be answered now?" The Malfoy boy raised his hand and she pointed to him, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Where is Potter?" Draco Malfoy demanded.

"I am unsure as to what you mean," Lyra schooled her face into a set mask.

"Chris Potter isn't here and neither is his brother," Draco spoke as if talking to a child, "No one knows where they are and yet their little sister spends the day with you,"

Lyra spoke with narrowed eyes, "Mister Malfoy, I am not required to tell you anything though I suppose in this case I will reveal something that the Potter elders clearly don't want getting out. Chris and Warren Potter came to the Sven Kingdom in Delllea this summer. It was during this time that I met them. Due to how my partner reacted to them, I offered them a chance to see if they could bond with vesca and wyverns during the most recent bonding festival along with Miss Granger and Mister Weasley," Gasps rang out through the air, "In case the inbreeding has made you too dimwitted to make the connection, they have found their bonded partners. As of the bonding festival, they are no longer considered English citizens nor are they required to attend Hogwarts."

Furious whispers broke out at her words making Taylin snort. Lyra glanced at him and he muttered, "You really do enjoy riling people up, don't you?"

"It's fun, Tay," Lyra shot him a smile before silencing everyone with a flick of her wrist, "You may all talk about what I've revealed later," They all looked shocked at the show of focus-less magic, "For now, we will begin today's lessons which isn't really a lesson. Taylin will be passing out test papers and writing utensils. You have two hours to complete the test to the best of your ability. When you're done, come up to the front of the class and hand in your test before leaving," Lyra broke the silencing spell and watched as one of the fifth year Hufflepuffs, Susan Bones, raised her hand, "Yes, Miss Bones?"

The girl was related to the current DMLE head which made her a bit more interesting than the other students, "Professor Sil-"

"Call me Sergeant Silver, Miss Bones," Lyra cut her off, "Please refer to my unit by our ranks. None of us are actually Professors or anything close to it save for Taylin who will likely be your primary teacher unless the lesson of the day is something someone knows better,"

The class looked at her in interest at those words. Susan shook off her surprise, "Sergeant Silver, isn't the class supposed to be two hours long?"

"It normally will be unless its a day like today when we test you," Lyra replied earning confused looks, "Unlike most classes here, you will be faced with multiple tests during our year here. The reason being is that it will ensure the knowledge you're given actually sticks," She glanced at Dumbledore and knew he would want to talk to them later, "Today's test is merely to give us an understanding of what you know of the Mounted Guardian Core, Delllea, and what is considered general knowledge back home. Unlike most tests in this class, the test you take today will be the same one we give you before each of your breaks though the questions might become a little more detailed later on,"

With that said, the materials were handed out and the students set to work.

* * *

After the last fifth year left, Dumbledore approached them as Hagrid left the room, "That was certainly an interesting first day of class."

"While we have a general teaching schedule, we needed to see what the children knew," Taylin answered as Lyra began looking over the tests, "It will let us focus on where the worst holes in their knowledge are before we focus on other parts,"

Dumbledore seemed pleased with the information, "I'm glad you're taking this seriously."

"We kind of have to if the next generation of English magicals is going to have an actual understanding of us," Lyra had to scowl at some of the answers, "Clearly the English magical community needs to be dragged into the light if they believe half of this absolute crap,"

Once she finished grading the paper, Lyra handed it to Dumbledore to look over and the old man winced at some of the answers, "I see your point. Though why did you tell them about Chris, Warren, Hermione, and Ron being in the Core?"

"Better to tell them the truth now than let them find out later," Lyra began grading the next test, "I also did it to encourage the snake to send his men to Delllea. If he does, it means there will be less work for us to do,"

"There's also the fact you enjoy riling people up," Taylin pointed out.

Letting out a laugh, Lyra said, "As if you would've done anything diffrent."

Taylin opened his mouth before pausing and conceding, "Point."

"If I may ask, why did you look like you'd smelt something particularly foul when the students were coming into the class?" Dumbledore asked Taylin curiously looking amused at their byplay.

Taylin immediately scowled, "Lucius Malfoy was the bastard that insulted my sister. As far as we can tell, his son is just like him."

Dumbledore openly winced at the information, "I see."

"I don't blame the kid for turning out the way he did if that blonde bastard is his father," Lyra shook her head, "But he better be careful,"

"I will see to it that Severus warns him," Dumbledore decided as he stood up after putting the test onto the stack that Lyra had already graded, "If you'll excuse me,"

"Of course," Lyra waved him off, "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Albus,"

"You as well, Lyra, Taylin," Dumbledore replied before leaving the room.

Taylin looked up from the test he was grading, "I'm almost tempted to act childish and do everything I can to toss him out of the class."

"Why do that when it's likely he do it on his own?" Lyra retorted earning a snort, "Let the kid dig himself his own hole and rot in it,"

* * *

For the most part, the pureblood and half-blood magically raised children did really bad on the test. The muggleborn and muggle-raised half-bloods did decently for the most part especially if they came from areas where the Core had a presence. Lyra almost wanted to toss some of the tests into a fire or have Karth burn them due to how offensive many of the answers were. The vast amount of Pureblood Supremacy bullcrap made her want to bang her head repeatedly on the nearest hard surface. How an entire sect of magicals could end up so misguided that they forgot almost all the principles and laws of magic that had been laid down since the beginning, she didn't know.

Tossing down the last test sheet, Lyra muttered, "I know inbreeding fucks things up, but I didn't know it could be this bad."

Some of the questions were so basic that a four year old living on the streets would know an acceptable answer:

 **1) Where is the magical core usually located?  
2) What is magic?  
3) What can magic do?**

The three most basic questions had been answered wrongly by almost the entire student body. The answers were simple:

 **1) Usually behind the heart or below it.  
** **2) The life energy of the earth.  
** **3) Anything you can imagine so long as you have the will or desire for it.**

The answers that annoyed her the most came from the Ravenclaws who didn't seem to understand that the answer was supposed to be simple. Taylin wrapped an arm around Lyra's waist and gently pulled her to lean against him, "Me neither. The council will not be pleased that they've fallen so far."

It was an affront to the very nature of magic for the English magicals to have forgotten the core knowledge of the world. If they didn't shape up within the next century or two, they would die out and likely turn England into a magical dead zone outside of the areas where magical creatures or the Core commonly traveled. Lyra sighed, "Looks like we'll have to go in depth on what magic really is."

* * *

Chris actually looked a bit shocked when she finished ranting about his former countrymen, "Guess that would explain why we had to take extra tests and classes along with everything else."

"You'll be playing catch up for awhile, Chris," Lyra felt sorry for him, "If you need any help studying or have questions that you don't really want to ask your teachers, I'm just one mirror call away,"

"Thanks, Lyra," Chris smiled a bit, "I'll tell Warren though I think Carter's helping him,"

"He probably is," Lyra knew her adoptive little brother wouldn't hesitate to help those that were supposed to be family, "Speaking of younger siblings, I spent the day with Lilac a few days ago,"

Chris perked up, "Really? How is she?"

"She's recovering at a rather quick rate," Lyra wondered if she should ask Chris about the advanced healing before putting it out of her mind for now since it wasn't a bad thing to have, "I broached the subject of our sire and dame no longer having custody of her. She actually wanted to come live with me,"

"Really?" She could understand his shock.

After all, it said quite a bit about Lily and James' parenting skills when their children didn't actually want to be near them. It made Lyra all the more grateful to have Eliza Silver as her mentor and adoptive mother. While growing up hadn't been exactly pleasant at times, it was still a sight better than what she probably would've had if Lily and James had actually raised her. She pushed away her thoughts, "Yeah, but that isn't exactly possible despite us having what will likely be a permanent residence in the capital. I'm going to do my best to see that Lord Black and Consort Lupin get custody as they're planning to move to Delllea to be closer to you and Warren."

"Thank Merlin," Chris' look of relief was a bit surprising, "While life probably is a bit rough for humans here, its still a sight better than back in England. I'm shocked at just how far removed the English magical communities are,"

"With any hope, they'll change their ways," Lyra wasn't too sure they would, "How was your first survival class?"

"Fucking horrible," Chris visibly shuddered, "I will never look at rabbits the same way again,"

Ouch, that meant they went to the Hundred Spires Gorge, "Let me guess, you saw them devour something whole?"

"One of the other members of my squad nearly got eaten alive and it was only the intervention of the teachers that kept her from dying," Chris' voice was flat, "Why didn't you mention man eating bunnies?"

"I didn't think they'd take you to the Hundred Spires Gorge this soon in your training. They usually save that for the second year of it," Lyra didn't mind the gorge mostly because the creatures inside were easy to deal with if you had access to a good lightning spell, "If you have to go again, you should look up some lighting spells since Spire Rabbits and pretty much any other creature inside become a non-threat if you can shock them good enough,"

"Should I mirror call you whenever we have trips like these?" Chris asked her.

Lyra shrugged with a smile, "Sure, but try asking your teachers about likely areas you'll travel to. Sometimes they'll tell you about the area or give you a book title to look up. The goal of these lessons are to teach you to survive in often hostile situations, how to plan for it, pack for it, and be ready for just about anything. Just be glad you're no where near your sixth year, you actually have a chance to prepare for that stuff."

Chris deadpanned, "They're going to drop us into the middle of nowhere randomly, aren't they?"

"Got in one, Chris," Lyra still wanted to kill Bala for dumping her unit into the middle of the Violet Forest during winter, "Hope to hell you don't have Bala as the one to pick out where they put you or dump you especially if its in the middle of winter,"

"There's a story attached to that, isn't there?" Chris looked torn between demanding answers and not wanting them.

"The Gorge isn't that bad compared to Violet Forest in the middle of winter," Lyra pushed back those rather _fun_ memories, "Anyway, anything else happen?"

Chris shook his head, "Nothing really, it was kind of interesting to see everything. Most of the squad isn't that bad since they've pretty much elected a wait and see approach. There's actually a female falcon shifter that's actually really helpful, she actually helped Hermione, Ron, and I around the city."

"Falcon shifters tend to have a neutral view on humans, so she probably actually means to be helpful. Do your best to avoid pissing her off," Lyra thought of something, "What's her name?"

"Shuna Kordan," Chris looked a bit surprised when she laughed, "What's so funny?"

"Ask her if she has an uncle named Causi," Lyra told him, "If she does, I know her uncle since he was under my mentors command. He was my all time favorite baby sitter when I was growing up,"

Chris looked a bit skeptical, "I'll ask though I didn't know you had a baby sitter."

"My mentor was the commander of a division, Chris," Lyra explained with a small laugh, "She couldn't exactly keep an eye on me all the time. Baby sitting me was one of her favorite punishments especially after I discovered my love of seeing how things burned,"

"You would get along with one of my old classmates," Chris' dry tone made her snicker, "He's a pyromaniac,"

"I've met him. He's kind of cute," Lyra smirked as Chris' jaw dropped, "Don't give me that look, Chris. I'm a girl and we look at others just as much as guys do. We're a lot more discrete for the most part,"


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021**

 **BloodyKitsune1997: Not quite to my usual length, but I wanted to get this out there since I haven't updated in a month.  
**

 **Reviews:  
**

 **ThunderClaw03 : I'm glad you liked the chapter. Maybe, but who knows just yet. We'll just have to see.**

 **Jostanos : Pretty much though only time will tell when it will happen. Maybe, maybe not, that is indeed the question, is it not?**

 **Penny is wise: I'm glad you liked it. **

* * *

Chapter 13

* * *

After the first few weeks of Hogwarts, the Mounted Guardians fell into an easy routine. Evan and Cain spent time negotiating with the goblin clans. Tsuki and Malcom spent much of their time running around the country side looking into rumors while tracking down dark magic. Lyra and Taylin spent time with the students of Hogwarts as well as Lilac when the child managed to get Sirius to bring her to school. Lyra's general attitude towards children made her a favorite of the younger years especially when she showed them some of the games played by the children of Delllea. The fact that she was slowly corrupting them to abandon the pureblood supremacy bullshit and their views of magic saw Taylin laughing himself sick. The older years took a shine to the fey that acted as their main teacher. The pureblood and half-blood nobles found a teacher that understood certain concepts and traditions as well as observed certain protocols only known to nobles. Those looking to become healers spent quite a bit of time picking Taylin's brain, Lyra ended up having him create a healers club with Madam Pomfrey joining him in order to keep random students from bugging them when they were trying to spend time together.

Lyra spent time with Sirius and Remus once they made it clear they wouldn't bring up certain subjects. She enjoyed getting to know them better and knew that she could definitely see them as family when they proved themselves. Sirius loved those that he saw as family and guarded them with a fierceness that reminded her of a Vessca protecting their young. Remus was a worn down man that struggled with his inner wolf, but didn't let that stop him from trying to live. Both of them cared a lot about Lilac, Chris, and Warren which put them above the regular Englishmen in her eyes, they acted a lot like the fey when it came to family even if it was hard for them to show it due to her dame and sire's actions after that fateful Halloween Night.

It was very surprising when most of the Pureblood students that were from families with noted links to the Death Eaters keeping their heads low. The greatest surprise came from Draco Malfoy though Lyra supposed it had to do with his mother. After all, Narcissa Malfoy came from the Black family. The Blacks had once been firm members of the Order until they stopped producing people with the ability to connect with Vessca or Wyverns. Despite that fact, they remained aware of some Order secrets though certain members like Sirius weren't due to the fact they didn't really care about their fully history. To be quite honest, she had to wonder if her Black heritage played some part in her being able to bond with Karth.

When October 7th came, the Mounted Guardians that had been absent returned only for all of them to go silent the next day. While Umbridge and some of the teachers tried to figure out what was going on, the students and teachers that tended to sit in on the Mounted Guardian's class knew what October 8th was. The Day of the Fallen was interesting to many of the students though none of them really wanted to try it. They understood that some traditions weren't meant to be observed by outsiders.

* * *

When Lyra woke up, she slowly got out of bed feeling the heavy weight of grief settle over her. She went about getting ready for the day before kissing Taylin's cheek and picking up the small bag she'd packed last night. Taylin hugged her lightly before letting her leave the room. Walking through the castle, she headed towards the stables to grab Karth as well as a few just in case weapons. After saddling up and pausing to nod at Evan, she left the grounds of Hogwarts for the first time since her arrival. They didn't go too far since the lay of the land was still a bit fuzzy, but it was far enough away that she was unlikely to encounter anyone until sunset when she'd return to spend the night with her pack.

Once she reached the secluded clearing not far from the mountain that rested by Hogwarts, Lyra got off of Karth's back and cast a few wards to ensure their safety. Grabbing her bag, she began pulling a few things out. A few sticks of incense, two incense holders, a few matches, a framed photograph, and a small bag filled with ash. She created a make-shift alter with some of the loose stones around her with the framed photograph at the center with the small bag of ash just in front of it. She set up the incense holders with some of her incense before striking one of the matches and lighting the incense. As the scent smoke began to form, she settled into what most would probably call a prayer position and closed her eyes as she began to mouth the blessings that she'd been taught a long time ago.

When the prayers were done, Lyra settled into a proper sitting position with her back pressed into Karth's warm scales as tears slowly began to run down her cheeks. She looked at the photograph which was one of the few she had of her mentor and the only one that contained her mentor's partner. Eliza Silver and her Gaia Born Vessca partner Alexandra. Eliza Silver had been a beautiful half-fey with wispy brown curls and bright red specked golden eyes that glowed depending on her emotions. She'd had the most gorgeous mocha colored skin. Alexandra had been one of the odd albino Gaia Born Vessca that bore dark purple lined pale green scales. She'd had the most beautiful pupil-less jade green eyes and the longest tail she'd ever seen on a Vessca. Temper wise, the two had been as diffrent as night was to day though that was probably for the best. Where Eliza was a hard-ass terror to most people, Alexandra was as sweet as candy unless it was a mission or you angered her.

Lyra settled her hand on Karth's head as he let out a low whine though she said nothing. Despite the years that had passed by, the pain was still as sharp as ever on a day like this. She wondered how they would have reacted to everything that had happened since they died on that mission. Mentally, she began telling the two what had happened since last year when she'd done this.

* * *

When sunset came, Lyra was mentally and emotionally exhausted though it didn't take away from just how much lighter she felt. She'd properly mourned the child she'd lost before its existence had been made known. She would never fully get over it, but the pain wasn't quite so bad now. Putting out the sticks of incense that were still burning, she packed everything away and pulled herself onto Karth's back. Once she was settled, they made their way back to Hogwarts where she was joined by her pack at the gates. All them had red rimmed eyes and looked as exhausted as she felt though no one made any comments on the fact. Instead, they just made their way towards the stables to settle down for the night.

Hagrid looked at them from his hut, but made no move to approach. To Lyra's somewhat morbid amusement, it began to rain as they reached the stables. It was going to be a stormy night and given that it was a day/night of mourning, it fit the general mood to a T despite no burials being made that day.

* * *

By lunch on the 9th of October, Lyra felt ready to take her butter knife and drive it through Umbridge's big mouth. The Toad hadn't stopped badgering her since she'd shown up for breakfast alongside the rest of her pack. One small mercy was that the Toad wasn't annoying the hell out of her pack and provoking the more hot headed members into attacking, but it was a near thing. While she could be patient, she only had limited patience after the Day of the Fallen which was why it was becoming hard to contain her more violent urges. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she cut the Toad off mid-sentence, "Madam Umbridge, I have told you already what happened yesterday. We were observing the Day of the Fallen which is the one day a year we of the core can properly mourn those we have lost."

"Be that as it may, you left castle gro-" Umbridge began only for Lyra to cut her off.

Lyra's patience snapped, "Madam Umbridge, we have our reasons for being off castle grounds and the Headmaster has already cleared us as we informed him of our plans over a month ago in advance. You are not a member of the administration that we're required to answer to nor would we answer to you if you were as you weren't the one that hired us," She glared at Umbridge as Tsuki choked at her venomous tone seeping through the polite one she'd been using, "If you have such a hard time accepting our answer, perhaps you should speak with Headmaster Dumbledore though I doubt it will help seeing as you seem to be deaf," She stood up, "I will be going for a run with Karth."

With that, Lyra left the Great Hall with most of the student body staring after her in awe and her pack-mates giving Umbridge looks of disbelief. It took a lot to get her to openly insult someone outside of the teasing ones she exchanged with Lucas. The fact that Umbridge had managed it told them that the Toad wouldn't be making it through the year if the bitch managed to actually piss her off. Not even Taylin was willing to piss her off despite enjoying seeing her angry, she could be as brutal as her mentor had been when pissed off.

* * *

When Lyra returned, she felt somewhat less homicidal though not enough to deal with Umbridge. Instead, she focused on finishing those staves that she'd been neglecting in favor of getting settled at Hogwarts and getting a feel for the general state of the English Magical community. It was calming to focus on creating something and fairly enjoyable to exercise her control over fire magic. Karth was happy to help especially since he was used to her using his innate fire magic when she was making something. It was one of the things that her teachers in all things crafting had been happy to abuse since the weapons created during this process were far more powerful and durable than those made through usual means. Sure, it was a bitch to carve the runes and cast the spells over the metal when Karth was powering the fire, but it was more than worth it especially once she figured out how to manipulate the fire to suit her needs.

Since the staves were a mix of metal and wood, Lyra had to be extra careful and specially treat the wood if only to insure it didn't lose its durability when exposed to fire. Even with the wood being resistant to the elements, it didn't change the fact that it could still be turned to ash if exposed to a hot enough flame. As a fire born Vessca that had been hatched and raised inside an active volcano, it was child's play for Karth to turn it to ash if he so wished. Thankfully, she'd done this before though it would be the first time her pack would be receiving the staves rather than the newest batch of trainees.

It took almost two weeks for Lyra to make all the staves properly as well as customize them for their intended user which was something new to her since she'd never had to customize staves like these before. She had to get some extra materials because of some failures that had occurred during the whole process. By the end of it, she was absolutely exhausted, but very proud of herself as she handed each of her pack a new staff. Malcom whistled in appreciation as he twirled the staff around, "Definitely leagues better than the old one. I actually feel a connection to it."

"You should since I used some of those feathers you've shed to make it," Lyra yawned softly wanting nothing more than to take a shower and go to the wonderful bed that was waiting for her, "I also added a bit of blood to lock it to you as well as bind it to your magical signature. On the off chance you somehow lose it, you should be able to summon it to you,"

"So that's why you wanted some fur, a tooth, and our blood," Tsuki realized earning a slow nod from Lyra, "That makes me feel a lot better about it all,"

Thanks to magic and potions, Lyra was able to take a tooth from each of her pack members as well as some hair/fur/feathers and blood to ensure that the staves would be perfect for their user. The process of integrating the materials into the staves was similar to the process focus makers used to make a focus. It wasn't easy though and you had to have perfect control over you magic when you did it. She was grateful that the Core enforced control exercises as a part of getting each member ready for Resonance since you could do quite a bit of damage to yourself and your partner if you didn't have good control. As a crafter, she had to have perfect control over her magic in order to make anything useful.

Despite the somewhat insulting comment, Lyra didn't do much more than shrug. It was dangerous to give anyone your blood especially if they were magical since it could be used to fuck you over in so many ways it wasn't funny. She looked at Taylin as he set a hand on her shoulder, "Tay?"

"Go take your shower, I'll get some food for you from the elves and make sure they give Karth a bit extra to make up for the lack of proper sustenance during your whole crafting process," Taylin looked like he wanted to scold her though knew better than to try.

When a crafter found a project, they didn't care about things they deemed insignificant like sleep, proper food, and personal hygiene. Lyra at the very least ate so long as you put something where she could grab it though she tended to ignore anything other than finger foods that required little more than grabbing and stuffing in her mouth. Taylin and her pack had long since gotten used to dealing with her when she was working on a project. Taylin tended to douse her food and drink in nutritional potions to keep her healthy while doing the same to Karth when her partner took a break while she was doing things that didn't require fire. So despite how much he really wanted to scold her, Taylin didn't as it wouldn't do any good.

Lyra took a long shower as she carefully scrubbed all the dirt, grime, ash, and sweat off of her body. She made sure to use the special shampoo and conditioner that would repair any damage to her hair caused by lack of cleaning and very high temperatures. As soon as she was dried off and dressed in her night clothes, she left the bathroom and dug into the meal Taylin had the elves bring. After she finished eating and took the potion Taylin usually had her take after a session like this, she brushed her teeth and finally allowed herself to sleep properly for the first time in almost two weeks.

* * *

Chris was surprised when Taylin answered his sister's mirror rather than Lyra, "Taylin?"

"Hello, Chris," The prince looked tired, "Lyra's currently resting for the first time in almost two weeks,"

"What?!" Chris wondered how the hell she'd managed that while also praying she'd be alright, "Why?"

"She's a crafter and they tend to ignore everything around them when working on a project," Taylin's tone was as dry as a desert showing just how much he liked that idea, "Before you say anything, we can't stop her when she gets like this. We've tried and failed,"

Well that explained it even if Chris didn't really understand what being a crafter really meant. He got that way when it came to practicing new moves on a broom, "I kind of get it now. I get that way when it comes to practicing new moves on a broom though it's definitely transferring over to flying with Sylvia."

Taylin snorted in amusement, "Makes me wonder if it's a family trait," He shook his head, "She'll be fine in about three days give or take a few hours. May I ask what you need?"

"I was just hoping to talk with Lyra a bit and get to know her better," Chris was a bit bummed out that he couldn't have his usual talk with Lyra, "I'll tell Warren and Carter when I see them that she's going to be out of it for a few days,"

"Thanks," Taylin looked a bit relieved.

"Everything okay over there?" Chris had to ask simply because Taylin looked like he could sleep for a week.

Taylin nodded tiredly as he ran a hand through his slightly mused hair, "Nothing that I can't handle, Lyra's better at keeping our pack fairly well-behaved than I am. Since the others want to wait until after Lyra has fully recovered and we can go over our findings so far, no one really wants to leave."

Chris smiled at that since it showed his sister had found herself a good group of friends/family. He wondered what their places in a family would be though he supposed that was something he'd have to ask his sister or Carter since they knew everyone better. He leaned into Sylvia as his partner shifted a bit, "I'm glad to hear it," Taylin gave him a confused look, "I'm glad to know that my big sister has people willing to look out for her despite what our parents did."

"You'll find that it's common for those inside the Corp to band together much like how our pack is," Taylin smiled lightly, "If you need anything, you need only ask, Chris. The same thing with Warren, Hermione, and Ron. While we may not be as close to you as your sister is, we are her pack mates which means you're part of our family even if not members of the pack,"

Chris felt something in his chest ease as he realized that, yes, Taylin meant it. Sure, Lyra had said much the same before, but it meant more to hear it from someone other than her, "Thanks, Taylin. I should probably let you go."

"No problem," Taylin smiled at him, "Have fun and don't let anything bring you down, Chris,"

With that, the mirror call cut off and Chris looked at Sylvia as she nuzzled him lightly. He could see part of the reason why Lyra loved Taylin. The fey prince was nice and had this air about him that made you relax. He supposed that also made Taylin an effective healer too since it would make his patients relax and actually tell him what's wrong. He spoke as Sylvia radiated curiosity, "I'm glad that Lyra has someone like Taylin and her whole pack. I hope that I can find someone like that eventually."

Sylvia gifted Chris a look that he easily translated as, 'Well duh!'.

Chris snorted as he put his mirror away, "Let's go find Warren and Carter, they need to know what's going on with Lyra."

Chris stood up and Sylvia shifted into position allowing him to climb onto her back. While they had been given saddles, Chris preferred not using his especially when he wasn't planning to ride her for long. Sylvia left her cave and took off towards the ground. He slid off of her back and they made their way through the training facility towards the Vessca area where he knew his younger brother would be. Walking through the halls filled with Mounted Guardians and Dragon Riders, he ignored the looks of disgust being directed towards him by some of them. He'd gotten used to such looks since coming to Delllea. While they weren't something he liked, he understood that humans needed to prove themselves especially if they came from England.

Soon enough, they made it to where Carter and Warren were staying with the rest of their unit. Silence fell as he opened the door, Carter broke it as a wide grin appeared on his face, "Hey, Chris! What's up?"

"Lyra's going to be out of contact for about three days," Chris answered earning a frown from Warren.

Warren put down his book, "Why? What happened?"

"She ended up finding a project, didn't she?" Carter asked earning a confused look from Warren as Chris nodded, "Lyra's a crafter like me only she works with the smiths whereas I work with clothes. When we find a project, we enter a state of mind where nothing save for the project matters until it's done," Carter frowned a little, "I wonder why she was working on a project since Lyra doesn't usually do that during missions,"

"Taylin didn't say why and I didn't think to ask," Chris would definitely be asking Lyra when she woke up.

"Someone probably managed to piss her off," Carter shook his head lightly, "Did you just come down here to tell us that or something else?"

"I wanted to spend some time with my younger brother and get to know you better," Chris replied earning an easy grin.

Carter patted the floor beside him, "Sure! Do you mind if I take a closer look at Sylvia? I've been wanting to since I saw her."

"Uh, sure," Chris took the seat as Sylvia settled in front of Carter, "Did you guys finish everything today?"

"For the moment, we've got some nocturnal classes, but those start after sunset," Carter took out a sketch book and began to draw Sylvia.

"Have you had any night classes yet?" Warren asked as he settled beside Chris.

Chris shook his head, "No...well, not any practical ones just yet since they don't trust us not to crash into each other when it gets dark."

Warren snorted, "Like what happened when Ron was staying over and you two wanted to do some late night Quidditch practicing?"

Chris' cheeks turned pink as Carter paused and gifted him with a raised eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"It was Ron's fault!" Chris glared at his brother while wondering how the hell he knew about that since he'd sworn Ron and the house elves to secrecy, "And how would you know about that?"

Warren smirked at him, "Late night reading in the library."

Chris wanted to either bang his head on the wall or crawl into a cave on some distant mountain to never be seen again as snorts of laughter sounded from the members of his brother's unit. Warren just grinned at him as Carter about bust a gut laughing and someone commented, "Ah, the sweet sight of a younger brother embarrassing their elder."

* * *

When Lyra was finally able to wake up and function without passing out randomly, she went to breakfast with Taylin. Headmaster Dumbledore smiled at her as they walked in as the Great Hall was slowly beginning to feel, "Feeling better, Lyra?"

"A bit though it'll take a few more days for me to return to normal," Lyra was a bit touched by his concern, "I hope my absence hasn't caused much stress,"

"Not at all though many of the students were concerned with your absence," Dumbledore answered earning a slight flush from her, "I assume your project turned out well?"

"It did," Tsuki grinned as she walked up, "It works perfectly!"

Lyra was relieved by those words, "Good though if there's any problem, just tell me."

"Will do, Alpha," Tsuki mock saluted her before going to their table.

Lyra's stomach rumbled causing a slight flush to coat her cheeks, "If you'll excuse me, Albus."

"Of course," Dumbledore waved her off with a smile, "Don't let me keep you from eating when you're clearly hungry,"

Lyra went to her usual seat and sat down heavily with a soft yawn. Taylin frowned at her, "Are you going to be able to stay awake today?"

"I'll be fine," Lyra honestly felt better than she had since they arrived in England, "Do we have a class scheduled after lunch today?" Taylin shook his head, "Then we'll meet up in the stable and talk about our findings so far,"

No matter how tried Lyra still felt, they couldn't slack off anymore than they probably already had with her project. They might have a year to do their work plus whatever the higher ups might give them if they needed more time, but slacking off wasn't something they could do on their first mission as active Mounted Guardians.

* * *

Lyra looked at her pack members carefully as they entered the stables. Each of them showed those little signs she knew meant they'd been worried about her. Tsuki was shifting a bit anxiously. Malcom was watching her with slightly narrowed eyes and a slight grimace. Evan's eyes were glowing faintly and his eye-teeth had lengthened a bit showing his inner beast was close to the surface. Cain was scenting the air in her direction every few moments and his pupils were flexing a bit. Taylin looked tired and his lips thinned while he watched her. For two weeks, they'd worried about her which left a bad taste in her mouth even as it warmed her heart.

Lyra sometimes hated how she got when a project came up, but there wasn't anything she could do to change it. It was a quirk every crafter had and managed to show people just where their true passion lay. She pushed those thoughts back once everyone was sitting with their partners, "Let's go over what we have so far, Malcom, Tsuki, what are your findings?"

Tsuki spoke first, "I managed to catch the scent that tacky tattoo let's off. So far, I've managed to track nineteen diffrent people down and found three noble houses," She smiled a bit as her eye gleamed at the fact she'd had a successful hunt, "Once we found those, we marked them down on the map though it'll be up to Cain and you to figure out what wards they have up since I don't really recognize them. Evan will probably be able to figure them out."

"I've managed to get good pictures of those marked with the tattoo," Malcom added as she turned to him, "I've taken pictures of the noble houses and the residences of the other marked if they didn't go to the noble houses. I've managed to also take a survey of the ambient natural magic in the areas as well as a survey of the magic coming off of the residences. As far as I've been able to discover, none of them are older than three hundred years old. The oldest belongs to the Malfoy's and has only been a magical residence for around 299 years as far as I'm able to tell,"

"Good job, both of you," Lyra was happy that they'd managed that much, "Once you've shared those items, we'll look over them and decide what to do. Have you both done your purification rituals?"

The rituals were annoying, but prevented certain magics from taking hold. Malcom and Tsuki nodded prompting her to focus on Evan. Evan spoke with a pleased smirk on his face, "The goblins have sent their agreement to our negotiations and will likely contact the King by Midwinter about a treaty between us. As we speak, they're searching through all the vaults and soon we'll have our hands on a Horcrux with which I'll work my magic on to track down the rest. They've also agreed to give the Order and the King two thirds of the contents of each vault that comes up with one."

"Not too shabby," Lyra hoped they found one soon, "Cain?"

"Outside of a few problems with some wizards, we've been fine," Cain answered.

"Good," Lyra relaxed a bit, "So far, I've managed to get the lower years to act like the children they are as well as start thinking outside the box the adults have placed them in. The Slytherin house is harder to crack than the rest, but I've been managing it,"

"They're not bad students," Taylin said earning looks of disbelief, "Some of them are, but the rest aren't bad. Once you move past the blood prejudice and their lack of understanding when it comes to what magi really is, they're pretty good students,"

"So what now?" Tsuki asked Lyra curiously, "I mean once you've fully recovered from your crafter haze,"

Lyra thought about it carefully, "First, we need to write a report of all our findings so far," They nodded to her, "Evan, do you need to speak with the goblins anymore?"

Evan shook his head, "Not until they finish going through the vaults which will likely take a few weeks."

"Then I believe it's time we switch things up a bit," A plan formed in Lyra's mind, "The Minister has been wishing for a meeting and it's about time that I gave him what he wanted which will likely cause a stir. Evan, Cain, I do believe it's time to put those spying skills of yours to work," Both smirked at her words, "Tsuki, Malcom, I want you take over the classes when we can confirm a meeting. It's about time we give them one of those special lessons,"

Tsuki groaned, "Do we have to?" Lyra offered her a look earning a groan, "What would we even be teaching them?"

"Navigating?" Malcom suggested earning a few surprised looks, "It's one of the basic things we know and there's a lot to it that doesn't even start to encroach on Order specific stuff,"

Smiling as she thought it over, Lyra told him, "That's perfect, Malcom. Good idea."

Malcom grinned at her, "Thanks, Alpha."

Despite being a prankster that relished in chaos, Malcom did have good ideas once in awhile. Lyra focused on Evan as the werepanther asked, "Alpha, is it really a good idea to go into the Ministry?"

"We need to get some idea of just how deeply these Death Munchers are rooted," Lyra replied as Karth laid his head in her lap, "If we're going to terminate them as per our mission, we need to know who they are, who they make contact with regularly, who is likely also a Death Muncher, and the like," She looked at each of her pack members seriously, "I know that you don't want to hear this, but I believe that we may need assistance when it comes to killing the sheer number of the Death Muncher forces,"

"It will look better on our record if we acknowledge that we need help and show that we're willing to ask for it," Taylin added earning a few nods.

None of them really want to let another squad join in on their first actual mission, but they could admit when something was too big for them to deal with. Even if the Death Eaters were less skilled then them, they might have the number needed to actually make this hard on them. As their first official mission, it would look better on their record if the rookies understood their limits rather than try for glory and end up hurt. They had far too many eyes on them to be able to make mistakes that most rookies did which really sucked sometimes if it would give future units like them an actual chance.


End file.
